I love Graffiti Bridge. Was actually the first Prince album I bought. The songs by The Time, Mavis Staples and George Clinton(assume Prince wrote all of those songs) are great-IMO. Although, the movie is terrible.
The problem with Graffiti Bridge is that the best songs on it were done far better in 1986 (We Can Funk, Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, Joy In Repetition, etc.). When you listen to those versions, you realize how watered down they became for GB.
We Can Funk is even earlier. And you’re right, the versión released on PR deluxe is far better than the one on GF
Somewhere in the top 10 but the bottom half of that 10, IMO. I loved "Parade" in the day but it's not aged well for me, honestly. Still a very good album, but not a fave...
My favourite Prince album (or almost by anyone). It flows perfectly, sounds like no other and the b/w artwork makes it his visually most beautiful album.
I haven't seen that being compared to "Purple Rain" and I don't really find any similarities besides it being a slow song with somwhat similar harmonic language. I am talking about the structure (not so much harmonies or melody) and Jayseph describe quite well what specifically is similar: Especially the stacking of verse/chorus three times withut any bridge or some other contrasting passage inserted to break the flow is not that usual, and together with the following climactic final solo and singalong makes it fit the same template (a template he didn't use in the same way in any other songs I can think of). Just talking about the title track I again don't find it similar as a composition, besides serving a similar purpose, but I guess if you think about the whole album it maybe is patterned the same way, I haven't really thought about it like that. Edit: Just to add, it is not meant as put down to say "Gold" is similar, I love the song.
I agee with you on Can’t Stop, but Joy In Repetition is the 1986 version ;-) and one of his best songs ever (!) and We Can Funk 1986 is amazing, but to call the GB version watered down is kinda odd since it’s basically an expansion of the 1983 version. The problem with Graffiti Bridge is the inclusion of the many weak songs and including other singers.
Parade is top3 for me. Sometimes his best... Having said that it’s not the first Prince album you should listen to. Parade is the amazing icing on the cake.
AND the guitar sound. AND the drum sound. AND the effect on the vocals. AND the way Prince is singing.... Everything in "The ladder" screams "I wanna be Purple rain 2 !" .
Ok, I was only thinking about the songs as a compositions, not about the sounds and production (and with that in mind "Gold" is on the other hand quite different sounding), so maybe you have some points there, but I still think it is a very different thing, "The Ladder" is for example not exactly hit list material.
I think the first Prince album I ever listened to all the way through was Batman. Then after that, the next one would've been Diamonds and Pearls. Both I heard at the time of their release. I got into his music a lot more with the release of the Love Symbol album. Then I worked back from there through his catalog.
I think it was my first Prince purchase (apart from the single "Gotta Stop Messin' About"). A terrific album and one my 80s favourites (along with Purple Rain, Sign Of The Times and Lovesexy).
Parade is good except for the songs that really tie into the movie, and that's pretty much all of side one. I've just never been able to get into the first four tracks, Venus De Milo, and Do U Lie. They're really appropriate within the context of the film, but on the album next to some of his greatest singles like Kiss, Mountains, and Girls & Boys they're just oddities.
I'm sort-of with you. I love all Prince's 80s' stuff, but I can't say I love Parade. For some reason, it has a huge reputation with the hardcore fanbase and it was disproportionately popular in Europe when released (probably because it was the first time he toured there). But I'm not really hearing anything special. It's hit and miss. Songs I really like on Parade: -- Christopher Tracy's Parade (but I only listen to "Wendy's Parade", as it's better and because the actual released title calls to mind the horrendously awful film) -- Under the Cherry Moon -- Kiss -- Sometimes It Snows in April Good-ish song on Parade: -- Girls & Boys Forgettable: -- New Position -- I Wonder U -- Life Can Be So Nice -- Venus de Milo -- Mountains -- Do U Lie? -- Anotherloverholenyohead No doubt that Prince a wealth of great material available in late '85/early '86 to put on any record if he so chose, but not much of it went on this one. I always hear that Parade is his funky, R&B album... but I'm not hearing it. 'Kiss' is funky, sure. To me, 'Girls & Boys' sounds more like Janet Jackson than James Brown ('Housequake' -- now there's some funky stuff!). A soundtrack can only be so funky when it's a movie about a gigolo at a cabaret bar in the south of France, with titles like 'Venus de Milo'.
A audiophile Parade would be a dream. I wish the next to deluxe editions could be Parade and Around The World. World has some real good b side songs. I'd love for these two to come out.
Which is one of the joys of being a Prince fan - you can always speculate on alternate-track lists and what could have been. I think the '85 version of Parade (with Others Here With Us, All My Dreams, and Old Friends 4 Sale) is pretty cool, and if you combine those tracks with the singles from Parade, IMO, you have a truly great album.
I dig it. It may not be one of his landmark masterpieces ("Dirty Mind," "Purple Rain," "Sign 'O' the Times") but it's excellent and close behind. "Kiss" alone is one of his best singles ever.
It seems the three videos I posted were the first in a resuming of the weekly (or was it semi-weekly) Friday postings of videos on the Prince channel that we had before (but which were halted some months back): Prince Estate Releasing Rare Videos From 1995-2010 Era (I don't know why they also list "Gold," "Eye Hate U," "Dinner With Delores," and "The Same December" as being of the "initial batch", they've all been been there for about year.)
I asked a Gort to change the name of this thread, hope no-one objects, I just hated seeing that blunt "dead at 57" everytime it turned up... Since this has now become a long running general tribute/appreciation thread (for posting things that don't fit in more specific threads) I thought something a little more neutral and memorial sounding would be better, it's not a newsflash anymore.
