Wanted:The Origin of Prince
Bob Switzer
As stated in the subject line, I am curious in knowing the
origin of "Prince". Did anyone hear of this "musician"
before last year (or whenever "Purple Rain" came out)?
I really do not enjoy his music, but I have nothing particular
against it either (no flames please). I am just wondering
how "Prince" made it so big, so fast, and if "Prince" had
a real music life before the hit. If so, what was it?
-----
Enjoy,
--
R. Switzer @ AT&T Bell Labs
Rm. 3L-434 / Crawford Corner Rd.
Holmdel NJ 07733 phn:1(201)949 5133
...!hou3c!rs
Fred Mertz
> origin of "Prince". Did anyone hear of this "musician"
> before last year (or whenever "Purple Rain" came out)?
> I really do not enjoy his music, but I have nothing particular
> against it either (no flames please). I am just wondering
> how "Prince" made it so big, so fast, and if "Prince" had
> a real music life before the hit. If so, what was it?
ONE STORY:
Yes, Prince came out of nowhere, had no musical history before Purple Rain,
suddenly decided to make a movie and became famous overnight. This is proven
by the fact that *no* AOR radio station EVER played a Prince song before
Purple Rain.
ANOTHER STORY:
Prince has been around for years. The first album of his that I am familiar
with (there were a few before it, too) was "Dirty Mind", which is one of the
truly feelthy albums of our age. This was followed by "Controversy", in
which the title songs asks questions about the "controversy" around the public
sexual image of Prince. I think that was 1981, when he got booed off the stage
by an "extremely hip" Los Angeles crowd as the opening act for the Rolling
Stones (real broad minded, tolerant, and hi, those rock n' rollers...). He
really broke ice with the album "1999". Both the title cut and "Little Red
Corvette" received a lot of airplay even on top40 stations (and maybe even
a "progressive" AOR station), but other cuts (like "Delirious", "DMSR"---which
was used in the party scene in "Risky Business", "Let's Pretend We're
Married", and "A-U-T-O-Matic") were noticed as well, especially on so-called
"urban contemporary" (great pigeonholing, guys!) stations. And, of course,
Purple Rain followed last year.
THE MORAL:
Don't assume that because you've never heard of someone, that they just shot up
overnight out of nowhere. For every person with even the broadest musical
tastes, there's a whole world of music that's still "unknown"...
THE QUESTION:
Where is "Erotic City"? I know it's a B-side of some Prince single from
Purple Rain, but I haven't been able to find out which one.
--
"So, it was all a dream!" --Mr. Pither
"No, dear, this is the dream; you're still in the cell." --his mother
Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr
Dataspan Inc
Nothing more than a particularly bad "boom-chaka-laka-laka" record,
"Soft and Wet." Seems that the "offensive subject matter" of the record
caused WKTU New York to wimp out of playing it, despite the time being
the peak of disco.
A full-page banner headline in Billboard (with respect to blacklisting
of the record) probably earned Prince the first dose of real noteriety. If
stations had let Soft and Wet simply drop (as Anita Ward and Peaches & Herb
simply dropped) .... oh well, radio without Prince is just too good to
even contemplate.
We promptly added it after WKTU dropped it. Nothing like a naughty
record to get higher cumes.
dya
.
r...@ctvax.uucp
are. His first two albums didn't do much, but his third album "Dirty Mind"
showed a shift to the sleazy side. Because of the lyrics, the album didn't
get much airplay. After that he released "Controversy". Around that
time he got a one page article in Newsweek, that termed him someone
to watch. His next album was "1999" that contained the hits, "1999",
"Lady Cab Driver" and "Little Red Corvette" amongst others. "1999"
finally allowed Prince to "cross-over" from the black stations
to the AOR and top 40 stations.
Prince has also assisted in helping other bands such as The Time
and Vanity 6 become better known.
The guy is certainly not an overnight sensation and I am not alone in
noting the similarities between Prince and Little Richard
and Jimi Hendrix.
Rob Spray
...convex!ctvax!rob
rob.ct@csnet-relay
jrat...@uokvax.uucp
Prince put out at least 5 albums before "Purple Rain". Three
others that I have are "Dirty Mind", "Controversy", and "1999".
All these received a very good ratings by many of the music
critics, which is nice if you like Prince and doesn't mean a
thing if you don't. Anyway, he's not an "overnight" success,
nor is he a "flash-in-the-pan". He's been known around
Minneapolis for quite some time as something of a boy-wonder,
and even if you don't really care for his music, I think he's
a pretty good singer and plays quite a few instruments quite
well.
jrathman
SIMON
> and Jimi Hendrix.
>
> Rob Spray
Any similarities are purely intentional, but not quite real.
In the movie Purple Rain, Prince is NEVER actually shown PLAYING
the guitar!!!!!! There are shots of his mug, looking suitably tortured,
while some nice guitar playing is going on in the background,
but he is never shown ACTUALLY playing the thing. Given the hype (not from
Spray's article, but from other media) that would making Prince
into the new god of electric guitar, I feel I must point out
this small fact.
Anyone who would compare Prince's alleged guitar playing with
Hendrix's shoul check out Eddie Hazel, James 'Blood' Ulmer,
Pete Cosey, Vernon Reid and others to find out where the cutting
edge of electric guitar playing is at
Marcel Simon
Jeff Richardson
> > and Jimi Hendrix.
> >
> > Rob Spray
> Given the hype (not from
> Spray's article, but from other media) that would making Prince
> into the new god of electric guitar....
>
> Anyone who would compare Prince's alleged guitar playing with
> Hendrix's shoul check out Eddie Hazel, James 'Blood' Ulmer,
> Pete Cosey, Vernon Reid and others to find out where the cutting
> edge of electric guitar playing is at
>
> Marcel Simon
While it's true that there are similarities between Prince and Jimi Hendrix,
and it's certainly true that Hendrix was the undisputed god of electric guitar,
that doesn't necessarily mean that Prince is the new god of electric guitar.
I think that the similarities that people have been noting lie more in
the area of general stage presence and personal style than in musical style
and ability.
--
Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto (416) 635-2073
{linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd}!utcsrgv!dciem!jeff
{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!dciem!jeff
Jeff Richardson
> > and Jimi Hendrix.
> >
> > Rob Spray
> Given the hype (not from
> Spray's article, but from other media) that would making Prince
> into the new god of electric guitar....
>
> Anyone who would compare Prince's alleged guitar playing with
> Hendrix's shoul check out Eddie Hazel, James 'Blood' Ulmer,
> Pete Cosey, Vernon Reid and others to find out where the cutting
> edge of electric guitar playing is at
>
> Marcel Simon
While it's true that there are some similarities between Prince and Jimi
Hendrix, and it's certainly true that Hendrix was the undisputed god of
electric guitar, that doesn't necessarily mean that Prince is the new god of
electric guitar. I think the similarities that people have been noting lie
more in the area of general stage presence and personal style than in
musical style or ability. That doesn't mean that Prince isn't talented,
but I don't think anybody claimed that he can play like Hendrix did.
nm34
> Any similarities [between Prince and Jimi Hendrix] are purely intentional,
> In the movie Purple Rain, Prince is NEVER actually shown PLAYING
>. . .
> Hendrix's shoul check out Eddie Hazel, James 'Blood' Ulmer,
> Pete Cosey, Vernon Reid and others to find out where the cutting
> edge of electric guitar playing is at
>
> Marcel Simon
I must differ with you. To begin with let me state that I am not a
fan of Prince. I am completely repulsed by his macho attitude which
probably is born from an inferiority complex. However, I saw him on the
American Music Awards last week and was impressed. Most of the "artists"
on the show were not performing live. Prince did his song live and was
very good. He was spontaneous and exciting. It was a real treat after
seeing star after star fail to properly lip sink their song. I guess
after a day of watching M-TV people expect musicians to move their lips
a few beats out of step. Anyway I liked Price. I thought of Hendrix, but
I suppose I was supposed to.
Andy Bindman
r...@ctvax.uucp
While I agree that Prince will never be the guitarist that Hendrix
was (who will?), my point was in terms of a musical presence.
There are better pianists that Little Richard, but who (except
maybe Jerry Lee Lewis and Larry Williams) could match his manic
intensity. Prince has played ALL the instruments on some of his albums
so I don't think his musical ability is in doubt, but I expect
some rearrangements are made for stage performances. Has anyone
seen Prince live who could comment on guitar-playing abilities?
Heck, I've got a Hendrix bootleg with Johnny Winter on guitar,
but this doesn't detract from Hendrix' abilities.
My point was that in terms of an understanding of music and a
stage presence, there are some similarities between Little
Richard, Jimi Hendrix, and Prince.
"She said you're strange, don't change, and I let her"
Rob Spray
...convex!ctvax!rob
jrat...@uokvax.uucp
I see your point, Marcel - just because you didn't see Prince
playing his guitar (although I could have sworn I saw fingers
on the frets and others plucking strings), the only logical
conclusion any rational person could jump to is that Prince is
a fraud and doesn't play guitar. Of course, disregard all
credits on the albums, especially the "Controversy" album, on
which he "allegedly" plays ALL the instruments. Oh, and while
we're at it, I noticed on Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A."
video that Bruce's singing isn't quite in synch with the
soundtrack; therefore, it's obvious that he really doesn't do
the singing on his albums. Sometimes he even stops playing
his guitar and the sound doesn't diminish a bit, so I bet he
can't even play guitar!! And who of us really, really believe
that Hendrix could play guitar with his tongue and teeth????
I hope we can look forward to more of these brilliant(?),
insightful(?), and intelligent(???) observations, Mr. Simon.
Jim Rathman
....ctvax!uokvax!jrathman
Ron Natalie
> and it's certainly true that Hendrix was the undisputed god of electric guitar,
> that doesn't necessarily mean that Prince is the new god of electric guitar.
> the area of general stage presence and personal style than in musical style
Ditto, having never seen Hendix on stage, but having listened to him,
I find nothing in Prince's music that even remotely qualifies him as
an inovator of electric guitar technique.
Le...@seismo.arpa
To: brl-vgr!info-...@TOPAZ.ARPA.#Internet
In-Reply-To: Message from "Ron Natalie <r...@BRL-TGR.ARPA>" of 11 Feb 85 12:51:03 EST
Prince is a very good performer. I won't argue about his musical talents
although I understand he is a walking orchestra. The reason he is so popular
is the fact that he is a very good performer.
Eliot Lear
[Le...@RU-BLUE.ARPA]
-------
Greg Skinner
guitar playing, but in their message and their social commentary. A DJ once
made a better comparison of the two than this, citing specifics about what
Hendrix' message was (I don't remember) but Prince's commentary on religion
(particularly Armageddon/the Apocalypse), sex roles, and other things can be
compared to what Hendrix had to say in his music.
--
If you wanna ride, don't ride the white horse.
Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo
SIMON
> My point was that in terms of an understanding of music and a
> stage presence, there are some similarities between Little
> Richard, Jimi Hendrix, and Prince.
>
I beg to disagree. Prince strives, indeed strains, to achieve the
charismatic stage presence that Hendrix achieved with no apparent
effort. As for music, is it not a bit silly for Prince to put so
much effort to sound like music that was made 15+ years ago...
and fail?
Marcel Simon
ihnp4!mhuxr!mfs
SIMON
> guitar playing, but in their message and their social commentary.
>
But Hendrix' importance lies with his music rather than with image and/or
social "message". Said message was little more than a rehash of
sixties hippie ideals, which sound peculiarly dated today. Image, clothing,
sexual prowess and other facets of the Hendrix legend fade in importance
with time. The musical universes he chartered are still fresh, something
exemplified by the fact that it has taken 15+ years for the next steps
to be taken by a new generation of guitarists (the ones I mentioned
in my original posting). Does anyone really think that Prince
will have that kind of MUSICAL influence?
Images come and go, but music is eternal
Marcel Simon ihnp4!mhuxr!mfs
Jody Patilla
book, "Prince: Inside the Purple Reign". Bream is a Minneapolis
music critic who has followed Prince from the start of his career.
jcpatilla
Robert D. Zarcone
> Any similarities are purely intentional, but not quite real.
> In the movie Purple Rain, Prince is NEVER actually shown PLAYING
> the guitar!!!!!! There are shots of his mug, looking suitably tortured,
> while some nice guitar playing is going on in the background,
> but he is never shown ACTUALLY playing the thing. Given the hype (not from
> Spray's article, but from other media) that would making Prince
> into the new god of electric guitar, I feel I must point out
> this small fact.
>
I don't know what movie you saw, but I only remember one number by the
Revolution when Prince WASN't playing the guitar! ("Darling Nicki")
The shots of playing may have been short, but they were always there.
BTW, I'm old enough to remember when Hendix came on the music scene.
The HYPE over HIM was because he was doing something that had never
been done before, NOT because he was good. We know better now, in
retrospect. Maybe you will feel the same way about Prince, N years
removed.
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
Robert Krajewski
Does anyone really think that Prince will have that kind of MUSICAL
Hmm, this is a toughie. Even though an educated pop listener can hear the
references in Prince's music, (Sly, James Brown, etc.), I think he has a
musical style that is all his own. In particular, the drum tracks for 1999
are especially inventive -- they are certainly funky and work well in a
funk context, but they are extremely inventive and not the least bit
cliched. I have been listening fairly closely to Prince since ``Dirty
Mind'' and it's quite clear that he has been a big influence on a lot of
the r&b scene, and even some of the rock scene. Haven't you noticed the
increasing amounts of rockish guitar solos in r&b ? Many of the synth
lines and sounds that Prince has been using for years are now heard on
other artists records.
Whether he will have an enduring influence is hard to say, but remember
that there is one very important difference between Prince and Hendrix that
may give him the advantage over Jimi -- lifestyle. It took Hendrix time to
develop a truly original sound, and then just as he was about start getting
more sophisticated about it, he died of the good life. Judging from
reports about Prince, he's not going to run down the same road.
--
``Bob'' (Robert P. Krajewski)
ARPA: RpK@MC MIT Local: RpK@OZ
UUCP: genradbo!miteddie!rpk
Professor Wagstaff
> social "message".
A question I must ask here: Huh? If Jimi Hendrix's image wasn't of at least
equal importance to his music, then I'm the late Paul McCartney. His clothing,
his swagger, his stunts (playing a guitar with one's teeth just for the sake
of playing a guitar with one's teeth and setting fire to one's guitar for
the sake of setting fire to one's guitar do NOT, at least to me, qualify as
importance stemming from the music), all were at least as important to the
phenomenon that was Jimi Hendrix as the guitar sound innovations that the man
produced.
Prince has a similar dichotomous nature: both his somewhat eccentric image
and style play an important role in his mystique as much as his music does.
Compare this with some bands/artists where image and style are all they have.
(I won't mention names for fear of incurring certain people's wraths.) Or even
with bands that are "purely" musicians without caring much for image and style.
Perhaps the most successful AND most influential are the ones who combine BOTH.
Not to say that they necessarily make the "best" music. (Often the pure
musicians are a major influence on those who break through with both
musicianship/craft and image.)
--
Anything's possible, but only a few things actually happen.
Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr
SIMON
> > social "message".
>
> A question I must ask here: Huh? If Jimi Hendrix's image wasn't of at least
> equal importance to his music, then I'm the late Paul McCartney. His clothing,
> his swagger, his stunts (playing a guitar with one's teeth just for the sake
> of playing a guitar with one's teeth and setting fire to one's guitar for
> the sake of setting fire to one's guitar do NOT, at least to me, qualify as
> importance stemming from the music), all were at least as important to the
> phenomenon that was Jimi Hendrix as the guitar sound innovations that the man
> produced.
>
Just who, outside of sixties heads approaching senility (like me?), remembers
or even cares about that stuff? Setting fire to one's guitar kinda pales
next to Sid Vicious stubbing out cigarettes on his arm, or next to Ozzy
Osbourne biting the head off live birds, does it not? Does that make Vicious
or Osbourne the equal or superior to Hendrix?
Go to a local library. Look up Life, Time and Look magazines
for the years 1945-1950. Check out all articles on BeBop. I will bet you
anything you want that 90% of the copy in these articles is devoted to
Gillespie's horn rimmed glasses, Monk's hats and general weirdness, the
superhuman speed the early bop tunes were played at, etc. Very little will
be said about the harmonic and rhythmic changes the beboppers made to
the music, which is all that we consider now. Why? Because that is what
mattered!!!!! The rest is just sociological diversion. Miles Davis
is flamboyant; Bill Evans was not. They are, however, equally important.
Jimi Hendrix was flamboyant; Eric Clapton less so. They are both important,
Clapton for his contribution to the blues (a significant one, that dates
from his post Cream, post Layla period), Hendrix for his vivid demonstration
of the uncharted possibilities in the domain of the electric guitar.
I don't give a rat's ass about his playing with his teeth or balling
X women. In fact, I think it is a detriment BECAUSE that is all people tend
to see. If I had a guitar playing child, I would want him to emulate
Hendrix the guitarist, certainly not Hendrix the man. I certainly would
not want that child dead at 27.
What's this about "the late Paul McCartney"? Did he die and no one told me?
Marcel Simon
schn...@vlnvax.dec
Now let's not all jump down Marcel Simon's throat over this comparison.
Within a limited scope he makes a point, but I question whether it has
any significance. In fact I shudder to see Hendrix's name in the same
sentence with Pr{mmmph}, the recent media product. Yes, the current sex-
god has an appeal which translates into $$$s to the lowest common
denominator, but in almost any other context it is shere blasphemy to
compare them. The rest of the world still hasn't caught up to Jimi, fifteen
years after his death.
By the way the album (bootleg & import) which features Hendrix and Johnny
Winter usually goa
-goes by the name of "Woke Up One Morning and Found Myself Dead". It also
has Buddy Miles on drums and a very drunk Jim Morrison singing a few
perverse vocals. Any Hendrix fan has to hear this "Red House".
Daniel Schneider
{...decvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-vlnvax!schneider
David S. Green
> BTW, I'm old enough to remember when Hendix came on the music scene.
> The HYPE over HIM was because he was doing something that had never
> been done before, NOT because he was good. We know better now, in
> retrospect.
I too, am old enough to remember when Jimi Hendrix came on the music
scene ( as an opening act for the Monkees at a Forest Hills concert).
If I recall, only 4 or 5 albums were released while he was alive;
my favorites are the first and "Electric Lady Land". I never liked
anything that was released after his death but "Electric Lady Land"
and the "Jimi Hendrix Experience" are both 'good' and as for different...
well, there was much experimentation going on in '67 and '68, and I
see Jimi as one of the better guitarists of that time.
JF Zur
Bruce Springsteen, which was published in Rolling Stone magazine
the last week of January (Billy Idol appears on the cover).
Michael Ellis
> If Jimi Hendrix's image wasn't of at least equal importance to his music,
> then I'm the late Paul McCartney. His clothing, his swagger, his stunts
> (...), all were at least as important to the phenomenon that was Jimi
> Hendrix as the guitar sound innovations that the man produced.
Simply put, Hendrix invented modern electric guitar technique.
Punk, metal, blues, AOR, jazz, fringe, etc. are all deeply in his debt.
Listen to some Black Flag, Shockabilly, Metallica, or even Fred Frith, next
to Hendrix's `Machine Gun' if there's any doubt in your mind that his
influence is as strong now as it was 15 years ago.
-michael
Wombat
I find it hard to believe that people are comparing Prince to Jimi
Hendrix...to me, this is not unlike comparing Ripple to Dom Perignon '52.
Jimi Hendrix was, and still is, unquestionably, the greatest guitarist
of the rock era. His technical skills were awesome; his creative use of
studio (and live) effects has been copied by nearly every guitarist since.
His science-fiction blues ("House Burning Down", "1984 (A Merman I Should
Turn to be)" and so on) was entirely his own invention; and he was the first
of the guitar showmen of rock. While his lyrics were occasionally obscure,
and some of his recordings sound a bit muddy, the raw power of his work
and the social statements it made ("Machine Gun", "Pali Gap") comes through
on every cut of every album. Folks like Clapton, Beck, Page, Trower, and
S.R. Vaughan all have built on the foundations that Hendrix laid...Hendrix's
influence in modern rock is equaled only by Dylan, the Stones, and the Beatles.
Prince is a showman, to be sure; but his songs are all glitter and
sexual innuendo, with no substance; his musicianship is merely passable; and
his poetic sense leaves much to be desired. In other words, he's another
curiousity, with nothing substantial to say and little impact on the overall
direction of rock. His oozing androgyny attracts many; but his over-slick,
commercial attitude repels others. On balance--he's not bad, but he has no
lasting value.
So go out, buy yourself a copy of "Purple Rain" and listen to it.
Then go find a beat-up old copy of "Electric Ladyland" or "Rainbow
Bridge" or "Cry of Love" or "Crash Landing", and listen to that.
Maybe you'll wish as much as I do that Jimi hadn't left us so soon.
--
Rich Kulawiec @ Purdue Unix Wombat Group r...@purdue-asc.arpa
(decvax,ihnp4,uiucdcs)!pur-ee!rsk.uucp (decwrl,hplabs,ucbvax)!purdue!rsk.uucp
May you live in interesting times. -- Ancient Chinese Curse
Jeff Richardson
> > equal importance to his music, then I'm the late Paul McCartney. His clothing,
> Just who, outside of sixties heads approaching senility (like me?), remembers
> or even cares about that stuff? Setting fire to one's guitar kinda pales
> next to Sid Vicious stubbing out cigarettes on his arm, or next to Ozzy
> Osbourne biting the head off live birds, does it not? Does that make Vicious
> or Osbourne the equal or superior to Hendrix?
On the contrary, it just serves to underline the importance, at least
historically, of Hendrix's image and style. I'm not saying they were copying
or stealing ideas from Hendrix, but maybe Vicious and Osborne wouldn't have done
those things if Hendrix hadn't set a new precedent by setting fire to his
guitar.
> What's this about "the late Paul McCartney"? Did he die and no one told me?
Sure, don't you remember? He died sometime around 1966. All you have to do
is put a mirror across the drum on the cover of the "Sgt. Pepper" album and
you'll see. It says, "HE DIE," with an arrow pointing at Paul. There are
several other clues on Beatles albums and in their music, but for the best
clue, all you have to do is listen to some of the music he's been doing in
the last 10 years or so. There's no way it's the same Paul McCartney that
did "Eleanor Rigby", "Yesterday" and "I Saw Her Standing There". When the
best songs you've done in 10 years are duets with Michael Jackson, it's time
to give it up.
Of course, everybody knows by now that it was all just a rumour. But now
there's this crazy story that John Lennon is dead! Surely they don't
expect us to fall for another dead Beatle rumour.
Marilyn Ashley
> there's this crazy story that John Lennon is dead! Surely they don't
> expect us to fall for another dead Beatle rumour.
Didn't you know? Yoko thought it would be a good career move.
Larry J. Huntley
>
>Simply put, Hendrix invented modern electric guitar technique.
>
>Punk, metal, blues, AOR, jazz, fringe, etc. are all deeply in his debt.
>Listen to some Black Flag, Shockabilly, Metallica, or even Fred Frith, next
>to Hendrix's `Machine Gun' if there's any doubt in your mind that his
>influence is as strong now as it was 15 years ago.
>
>-michael
"invented" is a bit strong. As another of the sixties heads rapidly
approaching senility, let me suggest that you listen to Charlie Christian or
Django Reinhardt recordings from the 30's. These two invented electric
guitar technique; Hendrix, Clapton, Beck et al, expanded the approach and
utilized the technology available at the time (mostly high-power amplifiers
that Django would have found obscene.) I am amazed at some of the young
guitarists on the scene today; their technique is great, their sound is
stunning, and the good players are so damned numerous! They all are standing
on the shoulders of giants, though; I haven't yet heard anyone change the
game as much as Hendrix did. Remember -- there ain't no new licks, but
there's always some new kid ready to play the old ones better.
'brd
--
Larry J. Huntley Burroughs -(B)- Corporation
Advanced Systems Group MS-703
"I've got a bad 10850 Via Frontera San Diego, CA 92128
feeling about this..." (619) 485-4544
----
"Do you promise to covet propriety, sobriety, purity, security, and not
hurt the State...say 'What?'"
"What?"
"Take the stand."
Eugene Fiume
[]
As with most figures who appear larger than life, JH was overrated, and
by the looks of things, still is:
>
> Simply put, Hendrix invented modern electric guitar technique.
>
Is there anything but "modern" electric guitar technique? The word
"technique" wrt musical instrument playing implies discipline, mastery
of fundamentals, etc. Few [electric] guitarists can claim to possess
such skills. Three "modern" exceptions: Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson,
Mark Knopfler.
Admittedly, Hendrix did shake things up a bit. But the
time was ripe for a whole lotta shakin'. He has been canonised on
false pretences. Period.
Eugene Fiume
U of Toronto
wom...@ccvaxa.uucp
/**** ccvaxa:net.music / acsgjjp@sunybcs / 3:01 pm Feb 9, 1985 ****/
Putting it bluntly, Prince can be thought of as Michael Jackson with balls.
/* ---------- */
Actually, he was described by a guy here as "Michael Jackson with a
switchblade."
"When you are about to die, a wombat is better than no company at all."
Roger Zelazney, *Doorways in the Sand*
Wombat
ihnp4!uiucdcs!ccvaxa!wombat
Ms. Sunny Kirsten
> of the rock era. His technical skills were awesome; his creative use of
> studio (and live) effects has been copied by nearly every guitarist since.
> His science-fiction blues ("House Burning Down", "1984 (A Merman I Should
> Turn to be)" and so on) was entirely his own invention; and he was the first
> of the guitar showmen of rock. While his lyrics were occasionally obscure,
> and some of his recordings sound a bit muddy, the raw power of his work
> and the social statements it made ("Machine Gun", "Pali Gap") comes through
> on every cut of every album. Folks like Clapton, Beck, Page, Trower, and
> S.R. Vaughan all have built on the foundations that Hendrix laid...Hendrix's
> influence in modern rock is equaled only by Dylan, the Stones, and the Beatles
> Bridge" or "Cry of Love" or "Crash Landing", and listen to that.
>
> Maybe you'll wish as much as I do that Jimi hadn't left us so soon.
Sadly, Jimi predicted his own death in "Belly-Button Window", and said
something to the effect of: "Maybe you'll be ready for me next time around"
so we only have to wait for his reincarnation, and be ready for him...
--
{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sun!sunny
palena
In many ways Hendrix was building on foundations laid by Eric Clapton.But
his use of effects was truly revolutionary.He was also probably the hottest
(best?) blues guitarist to walk the face of the earth.The Mahavishnu,who is
probably the world's greatest "contemporary" guitarist,was heavily influenced
by JH,anybody who has heard "Birds of Fire" twice knows that.Larry Coryell,who
can boast little more than "discipline,mastery of fundamentals,etc." in his guitar playing also was heavily influenced by Jimi.
The three "modern" exceptions you list are being canonized
on false pretense.