PRINCE - What are some tasty Prince guitar solos?

Someone in another thread asked for examples of Prince's tasty guitar playing. Why not a thread collecting our favorite Prince guitar solos. Point out the good stuff for the rest of us to re-explore with our Prince albums.

Prince is a sneaky, sneaky fellow. He slips naughty lyrics onto Top 40 radio like, "Girl, U got an a** like I've never seen ... the ride is so smooth, U must be a limousine". (How many times have you heard "Little Red Corvette" without picking up on that?)

You can hear his hit songs a thousand times without noticing the tasty guitar solos. Prince doesn't often put his guitar solo out front. He integrates the guitar playing into the total song package. Your mind isn't cued to pick up, "Here's the guitar solo".

Also, Prince is like Frank Zappa with the guitar. They each stick guitar solos in places you don't expect to hear one, both on albums and live. They can also break up guitar parts on a song, so don't play by the traditional guitar soloing rules.

To start with more obvious examples from an album everyone who likes Prince will own -- On "Purple Rain", hear the guitar at the end of "Let's Go Crazy"; at the beginning and 2/3 through "When Doves Cry" (album version, not single edit); and in the long stretch to the finish in the title track.

Prince has been on a crusade to remove himself entirely from the Internet (though he's loosened up just a little on that). Search for Prince playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (with Tom Petty), or Prince covering Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella 2008. The videos regularly pop up.

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I was the one looking for some great Prince guitar tracks. In particular, I'm looking for some of the more obscure stuff that really shreds.

 

IIRC, he gets the guitar goin' crazy at the end of "Let's Go Crazy."

Not "tasty" really, but some very hot playing.

 

That solo still impresses me every time I hear it.

 

Always loved his Purple Rain work.

 

the live version of purple rain from the purple rain tour video is great...he unleashes a great solo that goes on for a while before he even starts singing

bambi from PRINCE
computer blue from PURPLE RAIN is some of my favorite guitar playing from prince

 

I was going to go with Computer Blue also.

 

"Joy in repetition" could be perfect if not so buried into the mix...

 

absolutely.

and the outro on "pink cashmere" is fabulous, my personal prince favorite guitar work. i wish it was a lot longer.

 

So much great stuff all over the place.

How about "The Ride" from Crystal Ball?

 

He's got a bunch of them scatter through the catalogue. Some of my favorites:

Alexa de Paris
Gold
Dolphin
Fury
Several cuts from the "X" album
Live version of "Sign O' the Times"
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
Chaos and Disorder
Lion of Judah

 

I absolutely adore the exceptionally tasty guitar solo in "Pink Cashmere'

 

I really like the guitar in the last half of Lady Cab Driver, but it's only about 60 seconds of an 8 minute song. For those of you who haven't heard this track before, you might not want to play it in front of your kids. The track that follows it, All the Critics Love U in New York, has some cool guitar work too.

 

My favorite is the SIGN O' THE TIMES (movie) version of "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." A music video was excerpted from this performance, but it edits out most of the lengthy guitar solo.

The DVD of the concert film is available from Canadian e-tailers. Not sure why it's unavailable in the US.

 

Paisley Park (remix) have a very nice "Hendrix style" guitar part at the beginning.

 

You really need to seek out his live material to hear Prince at his absolute best, especially when it comes to his guitar work.

'Small Club' is probably his most famous bootleg, and the guitar work is amazing. You can't go wrong with his shows from 'Purple Rain' and 'SOTT' period, his jazzy work in the early 00's and of course any live material from the present day has the Purple One jamming like a true pro. I always point people in the direction of 'My Guitar Gently Weeps' live performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in part because it's one of the only Prince youtube videos that isn't pulled down after a day, likely because Prince is only one of a group of artists performing the song, as opposed to his solo material). Prince plays the roll of Eric Clapton and he just kills it on the extended solo, even his fellow peers playing with him are looking on in amazement. Check out the video and keep an eye on Tom Petty and George Harrison's son, as they look just as blown away as the audience when Prince kills the solo. Good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifp_SVrlurY


j.

 

The solo at the end of "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" is awesome.

 

Among many others, I really like the solo in "The Question Of U".
Also "Holy River".

 

My vote is the song 'Controversy' On a very good, resolving system, Prince is soloing throughout most of that song! Check it out...

 

Or, just keep your ears open -- I could hear that in 1982 on my crap stereo.

Not a solo as such, but his playing on the intro of "Temptation" always left me wanting more. Another vote for "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man," too.

 

An instance where Petty really gets on my TIT. Clearly the Purple One is a man possessed, and Petty seemingly wants to keep repeating the WMGGW refrain - which he doesn't have to, as the original version has Clapton airing it out at the end - and Petty becomes a BUZZKILL!


He should have let Prince keep going until he'd had enough. I would LOVE to have an official release of THAT.

 

"God (Love theme from Purple Rain)" (instrumental) – 7:54 on the b-side of the Purple Rain (long version) UK 12"

 

Thanks for reminding me of this...I always wondered...where does his guitar go at the end, he throws it up....but it doesn't come down...

 

He sent it to George.

 

....I'm speechless......though obviously not true, that is one great reply, thank you, you're a poet