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 [more inside]
posted by Trurl
on Apr 20, 2012 -
31 comments
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.
posted by BoringPostcards
on Mar 22, 2012 -
19 comments
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. [more inside]
posted by Trurl
on Jun 2, 2011 -
70 comments
"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)
posted by Joe Beese
on Mar 10, 2009 -
109 comments
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.
posted by astruc
on Jun 28, 2008 -
43 comments
The Once and Future Prince [NYTimes link] Although Prince declined to be interviewed about “Planet Earth,” he has been highly visible lately. His career is heading into its third decade, and he could have long since become a nostalgia act. Instead he figured out early how to do what he wants in a 21st-century music business, and clearly what he wants is to make more music. Here's a YouTube celebration of some of man's hits over the years:
Black Sweat,
Let's Go Crazy,
When Doves Cry,
Purple Rain,
Little Red Corvette,
Nothing Compares 2 U (ok, the Sinead version), and finally,
Prince's basketball showdown with Charlie Murphy.
posted by psmealey
on Jul 22, 2007 -
29 comments
Planet Earth, the new Prince album, to be given away for free as a newspaper insert. Music industry bigwigs splutter, fume.
posted by hermitosis
on Jun 29, 2007 -
82 comments
