Friday, April 13, 2012
I see the owner of the Saints is buying the Hornets. I wouldn't be one bit surprised to see Mark A. own the Bucks in the near future, either.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Fun With Music: The Prince Edition
Fun With Music returns!!... which is probably only interesting to me, but what the hell, it's my blog. On tonight's episode we delve into the softer side of his Royal Highness' catalogue. Ask & most people will tell you I'm the rock guy, but truth be told, Prince is my favorite all-time artist for many reasons. Mostly, it's due to his emotive vocal styles & exquisite lyrics. So without commercials, here goes... the 10 greatest Prince ballads:
10. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - For those that forget, this was the first single released by Prince after his name change to a symbol only dolphins can vocalize. Warner Brothers wouldn't release anything at the time, so Prince, or 0(->, released it himself on NPG Records. What resulted was the highest charting single since "Diamonds and Pearls", peaking at #3.
9. Adore (from Sign 'O' The Times) - One of the few "less dirty" love songs, Prince uses a plethora of vocal tracks in different octaves to create a cacophony of smooth jazz-like vocals. This track is a veritable "who's who" of Prince's many voices.
8. Sometimes It Snows In April (from Under The Cherry Moon) - Haunting track with a beautiful understated vocal, almost introspective. A phenomenal closing tune to an eclectic album.
7. I Love U In Me (The Hits/The B-Sides, disc 3) - A rare ballad sung in his lower register, laid back, with exquisite harmonies. "I promised myself not to cum until she does, then she took both hands and a liar I was"... dirty, yes... bad taste, possibly... in the context of the song, brilliant. "When we're making love it's like surgery... and she says "Ooh, ooh, I love U in me". See, it's a love song.
6. Free (from 1999) - Ahh, the fogotten track. Prince was just finding his ability to switch from lower register to falsetto within the same track. Almost seems "power-ballady" at times, with some phenomenal guitar work at the end.
5. Nothing Compares 2 U (from The Hits/The B-Sides) - Live track featuring the imcomparable Rosie Gaines. Beautiful duet that, to me, punctuates the lyrics more than the sparse popular version. Less somber, more soulfull & hopeful. Their voices were created for each other. I've been hearing this version for almost 20 years & it still moves me.
4. Do Me, Baby (from Controversy) - Prince's classic falsetto in all it's glory. Pretty straight forward sensual love song. When you consider the original 1981 release date, you can almost hear the direction that would become "Purple Rain".
3. Speaking of Purple Rain, here it is. Written in one evening in response to why songs by Bob Seger were going over so well in the Midwest, Prince created his magnum opus. Soaring orchestration, melody, insightful lyrics, and some of the most Hendrixy guitar work of his career, this song transcended genres. Recorded live at 1st Avenue for the album and, thankfully, that energy comes through.
2. The Beautiful Ones (from Purple Rain) - If you want to know what raw emotion can sound like in a recording, this is it (after you get through the french start & ad). You can almost hear the conflict between the music, lyrics, & Prince himself. The ending screaming is almost gutteral, a man lost within his own pain.
1. The top spot belongs to a song most don't know & most misinterpret: If I Was Your Girlfriend (from Sign 'O' The Times) - Written by Prince as a plea to Wendy Melvoin's sister, Susanna, it remains one of the only true looks into the man's psyche. I implore you to click here & check out the lyrics. They remain, to me, some of the most vulnerable lyrics written by a man for a woman in history. The depths of his voice really bring the subject matter to the forefront: a man haunted by not receiving the reciprocal love of a woman he can't get.
So there it is. Done mostly in vanity, but I hope I imparted some new listening upon you and maybe a little more appreciation for one of the most brilliant performers this little orb has seen.
10. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - For those that forget, this was the first single released by Prince after his name change to a symbol only dolphins can vocalize. Warner Brothers wouldn't release anything at the time, so Prince, or 0(->, released it himself on NPG Records. What resulted was the highest charting single since "Diamonds and Pearls", peaking at #3.
9. Adore (from Sign 'O' The Times) - One of the few "less dirty" love songs, Prince uses a plethora of vocal tracks in different octaves to create a cacophony of smooth jazz-like vocals. This track is a veritable "who's who" of Prince's many voices.
8. Sometimes It Snows In April (from Under The Cherry Moon) - Haunting track with a beautiful understated vocal, almost introspective. A phenomenal closing tune to an eclectic album.
7. I Love U In Me (The Hits/The B-Sides, disc 3) - A rare ballad sung in his lower register, laid back, with exquisite harmonies. "I promised myself not to cum until she does, then she took both hands and a liar I was"... dirty, yes... bad taste, possibly... in the context of the song, brilliant. "When we're making love it's like surgery... and she says "Ooh, ooh, I love U in me". See, it's a love song.
6. Free (from 1999) - Ahh, the fogotten track. Prince was just finding his ability to switch from lower register to falsetto within the same track. Almost seems "power-ballady" at times, with some phenomenal guitar work at the end.
5. Nothing Compares 2 U (from The Hits/The B-Sides) - Live track featuring the imcomparable Rosie Gaines. Beautiful duet that, to me, punctuates the lyrics more than the sparse popular version. Less somber, more soulfull & hopeful. Their voices were created for each other. I've been hearing this version for almost 20 years & it still moves me.
4. Do Me, Baby (from Controversy) - Prince's classic falsetto in all it's glory. Pretty straight forward sensual love song. When you consider the original 1981 release date, you can almost hear the direction that would become "Purple Rain".
3. Speaking of Purple Rain, here it is. Written in one evening in response to why songs by Bob Seger were going over so well in the Midwest, Prince created his magnum opus. Soaring orchestration, melody, insightful lyrics, and some of the most Hendrixy guitar work of his career, this song transcended genres. Recorded live at 1st Avenue for the album and, thankfully, that energy comes through.
2. The Beautiful Ones (from Purple Rain) - If you want to know what raw emotion can sound like in a recording, this is it (after you get through the french start & ad). You can almost hear the conflict between the music, lyrics, & Prince himself. The ending screaming is almost gutteral, a man lost within his own pain.
1. The top spot belongs to a song most don't know & most misinterpret: If I Was Your Girlfriend (from Sign 'O' The Times) - Written by Prince as a plea to Wendy Melvoin's sister, Susanna, it remains one of the only true looks into the man's psyche. I implore you to click here & check out the lyrics. They remain, to me, some of the most vulnerable lyrics written by a man for a woman in history. The depths of his voice really bring the subject matter to the forefront: a man haunted by not receiving the reciprocal love of a woman he can't get.
So there it is. Done mostly in vanity, but I hope I imparted some new listening upon you and maybe a little more appreciation for one of the most brilliant performers this little orb has seen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)