MetaFilter posts tagged with Prince

What It’s Like When A Label Won’t Release Your Album

reenum — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:44:33 -0800

What It’s Like When A Label Won’t Release Your Album

"Hey, Morris" Prince and I said in unison

padraigin — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:07:56 -0800

Stories About Prince When Prince presented a Grammy to Gotye and Kimbra tonight, he put them in a tizzy. But if you live in Minneapolis, Prince is just somebody you know.

“I think I like Prince so much I would actually “buy” my tickets.”

timsteil — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:39:24 -0800

Siskel and Ebert on Prince.

I know right?

p.s. ppprrrrrr <--best regards

mannequito — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 01:15:45 -0800

10 years ago marked the debut of Chappelle's Show. Grantland's Rembert Browne pits the 64 most watched sketches on Comedy Central in a tournament to decide the funniest sketch of the 2.something seasons the show produced. (SPOILER warning - the final 8 are linked inside!) Silky Johnson Region Prince vs. Wayne Brady Buck Nasty Region Racial Draft vs. Niggar Family Pitbull Region Rick James vs. Black Bush Beautiful Region Clayton Bigsby vs. Making the Band Bonus: The 25 Greatest Chappelle's Show GIFs 'Chappelle's Show': 10 Best Musical Sketches

Hey Billy, where d'you get those sunglasses?

muckster — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 01:05:24 -0800

The 20 best Prince songs you've never heard. From Matt Thorne, author of a new Prince biography.

Princess -- Darling Nikki

hippybear — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:51:25 -0800

Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum, AKA Princess, perform Darling Nikki with The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. (apologies if this is blocked outside the US)

"Why was I not alive and making music when there was a Black catagory?"

Diablevert — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 18:07:29 -0800

Every so often, the editorial staff at Grantland e-mail 25-year-old Rembert Browne a video from the 1980s that he hasn't seen before. Ladies and gentlement: Rembert Explains the 80s. My personal faves:
The 1985 American Music Awards: "LOOK. AT. LIONEL'S JACKET."
Bob Dylan Rehearses 'We Are the World': "I have to remind myself not to lose sight of the fact that Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, and Lionel Richie are in the same room making music together. Oh, and Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick are shooting dice and smoking Virginia Slims in the corner." Duran Duran's “Hungry Like the Wolf” Video: "They are the only white guys in this village. Are they on a study abroad program? What is this?" Ricky and Alfonso Break-dance on Silver Spoons: "OK, there's a living, breathing skill gap. No disrespect to Ricky, because Carlton is a child prodigy, but wow, it's hard to look at the left side of the screen." Small Wonder: "Dad just stormed through the house. NOT IMPORTANT, because I just noticed the mom is wearing the flyest one-piece jumper. Yeah. I'm in love." Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson's "Say Say Say" Video: "Mike and Paul got their girls. Big surprise. I wonder if the ladies know they're in for a life of orphan crime." Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing in the Dark' Video: "I just imagine him standing up for six to seven hours while a team of seamstresses created jeans on his legs. It's like the ships in those fancy bottles. How did they get there? Does anyone know? I don't. Anyway, Bruce Minaj has junk in the trunk, but it's so comically packed into those pants, it doesn't really wiggle." Don Johnson's 'Heartbeat': "OK. Officially confused. They just showed a fire and soldiers and some evil-looking leader. What is this? Is this on the soundtrack to some movie? Is this some '80s political song? Is Don about to get real on me right now? Is that guy a final boss and is Don going to defeat him at the end? I'm pumped if that's what's in store...This looks like Michael Bay's film school midterm." Even more: Airwolf, Max Headroom Interviews Sting, Mary Lou Retton's Perfect Vaults, Baltimora's 'Tarzan Boy', The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Murray Head's One Night in Bangkok, David Bowie's 'Magic Dance' From Labyrinth, Kids Incorporated, Out of this World, Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me, The Wuzzles, and many more.

The first performance of "Purple Rain"

Egg Shen — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:36:50 -0800

Wendy Melvoin is fresh from high school. She is a wearing a V-necked sleeveless top, and patterned shorts. She is playing the first chords of a new song on her purple guitar, opening chords that she wrote, a circular motif with a chorus effect. Wendy is nineteen and she has the high cheekbones and diffident confidence of a Hollywood upbringing. She half-smiles at the faces that crowd close to the low club stage. This is Wendy’s first gig with the new band, and the song she is playing is “Purple Rain,” and nobody in the audience has ever heard “Purple Rain” before because this is the night that Prince and the Revolution record the song.

Prince's "Sign O The Times"

Trurl — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:47:31 -0800

We shrugged when friends told us Prince's Sign "O" the Times was the greatest rock concert movie ever. There are limits to how great a rock concert movie can be, and we figured Jonathan Demme's--and Talking Heads'--Stop Making Sense had stretched them as far as they were liable to go. But even though Sign "O" the Times was directed by the artiste, whose previous cinematic exploits haven't exactly put him in Demme's class, Prince has come up with a contender. Where Demme goes for a sinuous, almost elegant clarity, Prince's movie is all murk, scuzz, steam, and, oh yeah, sex. With all due respect, which one sounds more like a real rock concert to you? - Robert Christgau Prince was arguably at his creative peak in 1986 as he wrote and assembled the wildly diverse collection of songs that would end up on his acclaimed 1987 double-album ‘Sign o’ the Times.’ It was a cobbled together patchwork of songs that had originally been recorded for various unreleased projects - the aborted ‘Dream Factory’ LP, an album to be credited to the alter-ego “Camille” featuring Prince’s vocals manipulated and sped-up, and the proposed 3-LP set ‘Crystal Ball’ which was whittled down to 2 discs at the record company’s insistence. Many of the tracks recorded during this period remain unreleased but have been widely bootlegged, so in some respects the mystique of ‘Sign o’ the Times’ has always suffered a bit for imaging what it might have been. But while diehard fans will continue to pine for the release of outtakes from the era, it hardly seems fair to judge an album by what it doesn’t include – and without question ‘Sign o’ The Times’ is still a phenomenal record. The diversity, perhaps owing to the unfocused nature of its genesis, is its greatest strength. - Christian Gerard

Let's Pretend We're Marionettes

BoringPostcards — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:14:37 -0800

When artist Troy Gua wanted a new project to cheer himself up with, he hit on the idea of making a tribute to his favorite musician. Le Petit Prince, a 1/6 scale doll of The Purple One, was born.

Meet the natives of England and America

Blasdelb — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:22:51 -0800

Not content to keep funding expeditions of Westerners to learn about Tanna, in 2007 the National Geographic funded an expedition of five men from Tanna's Prince Philip movement cargo cult to visit England, stay with families, and eventually meet Prince Philip himself whom they revere as the son of their God. Jimmy, who was a member of the expedition and the narrator for the film has posted the video on his youtube account. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In 2009 the Travel Channel aired Meet the Natives: USA, which brought five men from another group from Tanna to the United States. Their tribe within Tanna reveres Tom Navy, an American World War II sailor who generations ago had taught the inhabitants to live in peace. The Tanna ambassadors were taken across, visiting five states, and eventually meeting former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell and verifying with him that the spirit of peace taught by Tom Navy lives on in the current U.S. President, Barack Obama. While visiting with a family on Fort Stewart, a US Army Major-General conferred a World War II Victory Medal and an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal upon the chief in representation of the contribution the people of Tanna in World War II. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Be sure to look for Jimmy's responses to questions in the mercifully uncharacteristic youtube comments Tanna has been featured previously and much previouslier, while the concept has gained traction and generated a newer show on a tribe from Papua New Guinea featured previously

Remember when music television actually played music videos?

zarq — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:58:14 -0800

It has been nearly a decade since VH1 cancelled "Pop Up Video," but at noon ET today the show returns with 60 new episodes. Their first video: Britney Spears' Til the World Ends. The program's new incarnation will also allow viewers to DIY their own "pop up" videos and share them on Facebook and Twitter." New show open. Wired: interview with the show's fact checkers. (Previously) For Mobile: Pop Up Video to Go (new videos) They have a loop of classics from the old show on their website, but many others are available on YouTube: (Quality varies) * Ace of Base: Beautiful Life * Alanis Morissette: You Learn * Billy Idol: Cradle of Love * Counting Crows: Mr. Jones * Def Leppard: Armageddon It * Dexy's Midnight Runners: Come On Eileen * Goo Goo Dolls: Iris * Grateful Dead: Touch of Gray * Jewel: Who Will Save Your Soul * Judas Priest: Breaking the Law * Lisa Loeb: I Do * Madonna: Vogue * Meatloaf: I'd do Anything for Love * Men At Work: Land Down Under * Metallica: The Memory Remains * Milli Vanilli: Girl You Know it's True * Motley Crue: Dr. Feelgood * Pat Benetar: Shadows of the Night * Prince: 1999 * Prince: Kiss * Prince: Raspberry Beret * Prince: When Doves Cry * REM: Everybody Hurts * REM: Losing My Religion * The Rembrandts: I'll be There for You * Rick Astley: Never Gonna Give You Up * Quiet Riot: Cum on Feel the Noise * Ray Parker, Jr.: Ghostbusters (Original Theme Song) * Sheryl Crow - A Change Would Do You Good * Talking Heads: Burning Down the House * Toni Basil: Mickey * Van Halen: Hot for Teacher * Van Halen: Right Now * Weezer: Keep Fishin'

Lost: Wired's Guide to Pop Culture's Buried Treasure

reenum — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:58:23 -0800

Wired takes a look at some pop culture legends that elude fans and collectors.

Prince's "The Black Album"

Trurl — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:17:36 -0800

The Black Album is a Prince record that was originally planned for release in December 1987, as the follow-up to Sign o' the Times. ... The 1987 promo-only release had no printed title, artist name, production credits or photography printed; a simple black sleeve accompanied the disc. ... The album was canceled mere days before its scheduled release, after hundreds of thousands of copies were pressed. A few escaped destruction, and rank among the most coveted Prince collectibles. In addition, the Black Album became the most bootlegged record of all time. The story of The Black Album being pulled from release is what is usually remembered the most, but the music is fascinating too. Some see it as the most negative thing Prince ever did, with songs like "Bob George", where he lowered the pitch of his voice to a monstrous growl and threatened to kill a woman, "Superfunkycalifragisexy", a funk workout about S&M somehow involving a drink made from squirrel meat, or "Cindy C.", an ode to the model Cindy Crawford in which Prince tries to get her naked. Others think it's the wildest and most daring thing he ever did, managing to remain funky as hell and intensely shocking at the same time. Some see it as terribly dated, with "Dead On It", an anti-rapper scribe, as a sign of Prince's disconnectedness from reality. I just think it's a product of the time and place Prince was in his life, although I also think it's the last consistently good album he ever recorded. The Black Album is strange, funky, catchy and unforgettable. The unforgettable part is important because even if you don't like it you won't forget about it. It's essential Prince and one of the few albums of it's kind, something unafraid to be dark and nasty. It would have shocked many people if it had come out as originally planned, and it would probably be widely acknowledged as dated now, but there is no denying that Prince was in prime form. - The Unheard Music

You managed not to get eaten then?

vidur — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:17:52 -0800

"From Papua New Guinea to Stoke-on-Trent, Prince Philip has left his mark around the world. As his 90th birthday looms, Hannah Ewan recalls the soundbites that could only have come from one man"

A Soundtrack of Love and Heartbreak, curated by 50+ artists

filthy light thief — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:09:06 -0800

eMusic has a collection of more than 50 artists reflecting on love songs, from Andreya Triana (Coldplay's "Yellow" reminds of her first love and heartbreak), to Yuki Chikudate (from Asobi Seksu) (Debbie Gibson's "Lost in Your Eyes" brings back the innocent early-elementary school crushes), and Dan Deacon (who heard Yo La Tengo's "Shadows" after a sucky breakup). All songs mentioned are linked below the break. The lead-in includes some lines from Rubber Ring by The Smiths. Yuki Chikudate (from Asobi Seksu) -- Debbie Gibson - "Lost in Your Eyes" Dan Deacon -- Yo La Tengo - "Shadows" Charles Bradley -- The Eagles - "Take it to the Limit" Lenka -- Donovan = "Catch the Wind" Joshua Epstein (from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) -- Prince - "Nothing Compares 2 U" Alynda Lee Segarra (from Hurray for the Riff Raff) -- The Falcons - "I Found a Love" Andreya Triana -- Coldplay - "Yellow" Sarah Kirkland Snider -- OMD - "If You Leave" Jarrett Dougherty (from Screaming Females) -- R. Kelly - "I Believe I Can Fly" Jason Isbell -- Bryan Adams - "Heaven" Emily Barker -- Aretha Franklin - "Respect" Nicole Atkins -- Paul Westerberg - "Dyslexic Heart" Tim Showalter (from Strand of Oaks) -- Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "The Way" Delicate Steve -- Bon Jovi - "It's My Life" Frank Lyon (from Keepaway) -- Dungen - "Panda" Mattie Derham (from Does It Offend You, Yeah?) -- Berlin - "Take My Breath Away" Samuel Cooper (aka Sunglasses) -- K-Ci and JoJo - "All My Life" Sonny & the Sunsets -- a song he made for his girlfriend / he doesn't like Valentine's Day Benjamin Shaw -- Flying Burrito Brothers - "Sin City" Katy Goodman (aka La Sera) - The Cardigans - "Lovefool" Ian Axel -- self-penned "Monster Song" Dominant Legs -- Pinhead Gunpowder - "Song of My Returning" William Brittelle - Warrant - "Heaven" Dustin O'Halloran -- Leonard Cohen - "Suzanne" Lou Rogai (of Lewis & Clarke) -- Anita Ward - "Ring My Bell" Jack Hayter -- Mark Mulcahy - "From This Moment On" (cover of Shania Twain) James Jackson Toth (aka Wooden Wand) -- The Pogues - "Once Upon A Time" Tom Currier (from The Jigsaw Seen) -- "The Avengers" theme, by John Dankworth Laura Donnelly (Laki Mera) -- Telefon Tel Aviv - "What It Is Without the Hand That Wields It" Adam Malec (from Procedure Club) -- Edie Brickell & New Bohemians - "Ghost of a Dog" Houses -- Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace" John Thornley (U.S. Royalty) -- Red House Painters - "Have You Forgotten" Ralph Van Raat -- something off of some album by Coldplay (really, he was that vague) Daniel Lannon (from The Frail) -- a second memory of K-Ci and JoJo - "All My Life" Olivier Alary (aka Ensemble) -- Ivan - "Fotonovela" Linwood Regensburg (from Those Darlins) -- Bob Dylan - "All I Really Wanna Do" Brandon Stewart (from The After Party) forgot what the question was Sharron Kraus -- Violent Femmes - "Add It Up" (NSFW) Chris Coco -- Beck's cover of "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" Pete Molinari -- Lead Belly - "Big Fat Woman" Curry & Coco -- Rah Band - "Clouds Across The Moon" The Seconds -- Kiss - "Rock and Roll All Nite"

So Tell My Mother That I Never Made a Whack Jam

WCityMike — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:11:37 -0800

The music video to "Boom! Shake the Room," by D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (SLYT).

The Internet Is Over

hippybear — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 08:09:53 -0800

He says: "The internet's completely over. I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can't get it. "The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good."

After releasing Cause & Effect and Hot Summer through his local Minneapolis public radio station, Prince elects to forego official digital release of his new album, "20Ten". Instead, he will give it away through France's Courrier International (July 8), England's Daily Mirror and Scotland's Daily Record (July 10), and Germany's Rolling Stone (July 22), starting this week. No word yet on whether the two released tracks will be on the new album, or of any official US release date.

James Brown and Prince and Michael Jackson

Meatbomb — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:55:14 -0800

James Brown and Prince and Michael Jackson

Prince rehearsal videos, 1984

gleuschk — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:48:30 -0800

Some guys in a Minneapolis basement, 1984. Rehearsing "When Doves Cry", "Irresistible Bitch", "Erotic City".... [via Fimoculous]

That skinny motherfucker with the high voice

Joe Beese — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:28:41 -0800

"Prince announces a triple album set available from Target. Unless he’s going to write a hit song and play in each and every store in the chain, this is a bad deal. We’ve got enough Prince music. We want two CDs and a third of a protege? I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a life. And Prince hasn’t put out a good album in this century. ... How many people are going to tell their friends about Prince’s new album? None. No one has hipped me to a new Prince track in fifteen years. The release of his album is a dead end. He’s abused our trust. When you e-mail me an unsolicited track you abuse my trust. When you add me to your mailing list without asking first, you abuse my trust. When you focus on marketing as opposed to music, you’ve got your head up your ass." - Bob Lefsetz (previously)

Purple Rain, Swedish Dansband Style

iviken — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:46:36 -0800

Larz Kristerz plays "Purple Rain". For some reason, Prince hasn't sued them. Yet. Swedish Dansband Larz Kristerz won the popular Swedish talent show "Dansbandskampen" Also: Sweet Child O' Mine, Hey Ya!, We're not gonna take it, Yester-me Yester-you Yesterday.

Retail therapy

infini — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:27:53 -0800

Apropos on Black Friday, Charles, Prince of Wales addresses the Foreign Press Association with a comprehensive lecture on the dangers of unchecked consumerism and the need for an increasingly holistic worldview in light of the global social, economic and environmental challenges. The credit crisis is a side effect of a throwaway society and consumerism is no cure for depression, he says, and we need to question the concepts of "Modernity" and "Economic Growth" we take for granted.

Prince is an angry, angry man

astruc — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:20:21 -0800

Fifty Norwegian artists (including the national symphony orchestra KORK), who recorded Prince covers in honor of his 50th birthday June 7, have been slapped with a lawsuit by the short-tempered star. For now, all 81 songs can be previewed free on C+C Records' website, and some are also available on MySpace in streamable medley form. Source.

the Prince "Come Together" bootleg

celerystick — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:40:00 -0800

the Prince "Come Together" bootleg ... from Coachella 2008 that's popping up suddenly on many indie mp3 blogs now . ..Incidentally.. the Beatles wrote this as an unofficial Presidential campaign song for Timothy Leary (incarcerated at the time) . A progressively intense audience engagning performance ... if they ever do a career spanning Prince box set they'll put this on.