Prince is dead

[JirinPanthosa]

It's also amazing how many great songs he wrote for other artists. Nothing Compares 2 U, Time After Time.

He had incredible charisma on stage and a way of delivering raw emotion and sexuality to his songs and performance.

2016 is the new 1970.

I need to make an inventory of great living musicians who are aging I haven't seen live. Maybe I can catch Paul McCartney before a meteor falls on him.

 

[Hippocrates Noah]

It's also amazing how many great songs he wrote for other artists. Nothing Compares 2 U, Time After Time.

He had incredible charisma on stage and a way of delivering raw emotion and sexuality to his songs and performance.

2016 is the new 1970.

I need to make an inventory of great living musicians who are aging I haven't seen live. Maybe I can catch Paul McCartney before a meteor falls on him.

Which Time After Time? The only two I personally know (Cyndi Lauper and R.E.M.) weren't written by Prince.

 

[publiusr]

Prince was a good soul, not your typical rockstar type. I'll always associate him with my teenage years in the 80's and Purple Rain.

I graduated Class of 1985--when MTV was on top of the world--and Prince on top of that.

Each decade had its own theme--but in the 80's all math was by addition. We were always gaining more than we were losing--and Orion III from 2001 still seemed do-able. But we got 9/11 instead--and ever since--all math is by subtraction.

We lost our Parents when Vigoda and Raymond's Mom checked out. We lost our reason with the passing of Nimoy, we lost our wit with Robin Williams--and lost our grit with Merle. Mrs Reagan--a bridge back--also gone. The Thin White Duke took his leave of us.

Now we've lost the generative force of the 80's--and all that was vital about that decade.

All that is left to us...is plastic.

 

[Kor]

"He's really not dead, as long as we remember him."



Kor

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I graduated Class of 1985--when MTV was on top of the world--and Prince on top of that.

We graduated the same year. I remember power watching MTV in those days, like entire days at a time.

Purple Rain was on HBO or Showtime by 1985 too, I watched it several times on cable.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Which Time After Time? The only two I personally know (Cyndi Lauper and R.E.M.) weren't written by Prince.

You are right, I was mixing it up with Manic Monday.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Purple Rain is the only movie I was ever denied entrance to at the theater for bring too young (rectified by some kind souls we met in the parking lot). It's funny, I only every owned the Purple Rain soundtrack (on vinyl before we called it vinyl...) and never thought of myself as a big fan but I think I was more than I knew. I knew him quite well though from MTV and radio. I remember watching his early stuff on Night Flight back when he only wore purple briefs and a trenchcoat. This news has really affected me and has me regretting never checking him out especially in the heyday.

 

[gblews]

The most gifted musician of his generation. A current day Mozart, with respect to musicianship and personal style. Genius like this does not come along often and it will be many years until we another like him. I saw Prince live only once, in the early 80's at the Santa Monica Civic Center. This was well before 1999 and Purple Rain. The place was packed and going insane. An incredible performer even back then.

Prince and Michael Jackson were always pitted as rivals but really, they were way too different for that. Michael deserved the title "King of Pop", but Prince should have been "King of Musicianship". His ability to go from hard R&B funk, to pop, to hard rock without any loss of command of the music was something only he could to. Right after Purple Rain he dropped a nearly perfect pure pop album that sounded virtually nothing like Rain. Not many artists would have done that. No wonder he eventually fell out with his record label. He also had some Miles Davis in him.

"When Doves Cry" is probably my favorite of his songs. The lyrics create a picture of a volatile romance that is as vivid as any ever created by a rock songwriter.

Musically, this is a loss of just incredible magnitude. RIP.

 

[C.E. Evans]

First found about Prince's passing on a comic book website, and my initial reaction was "no, screw that." Went straight to CNN and still couldn't believe it. It really isn't until someone's gone that you realize they were a notable part of your life, and with me, Prince was one of those who orchestrated the soundtrack of my life. There are so many Prince songs I can recall that it surprises me--each one connected to a particular place and time. It's a shame it took his passing for me to appreciate him even more.

Going through the 3-disc "The Hits/The B-Sides" album right now. A true artist in every sense of the word.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

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[Commander Richard]

Quite a while ago, Kevin Smith worked with Prince, and he's talked about his experiences.

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Just watched it. Great story and very entertaining. I laughed out loud a few times and learned a thing or two about Prince and his music.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Did anyone else catch Anderson Cooper's bitchin' purple set last night?

ETA: My latest iTunes purchase.

 

[BillJ]

A tremendous talent that left the stage far too soon.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Also picked up "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Manic Monday"...threw in "Walk Like an Egyptian" while I was in there.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

HOLY CRAP!! He was only 57 and he died from the flu??

How did that happen?

God, he was sooooo HUGE when I was in high school. I played my Purple Rain cassette (Google it, youngsters) until it simply wore out.

Damn it. I'm just..........stunned.

Holy crap, I used to do that too, Purple Rain was my soundtrack that year of 1982 all through high school.

As for his dying from the flu, it happens when you have a chronic illness and don't get immunized; I'm guessing that's what happened to him. And that's quite sad.

I love the guy, and I will miss him forever, now.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Purple Rain was my soundtrack that year of 1982

Then you were two years ahead of the curve....

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Damn, this is literally the first I've heard of it. I admit I'm not a HUGE Prince fan, I enjoy the greatest hits that you usually hear on the radio but never to the point that I've actually bought or downloaded any album. Although when I was a kid I did own the Batman soundtrack but I think it was a gift and I don't remember listening to it much. I've always been more of a rock and roll guy and a lot of his songs (the ones you hear on the radio at least) are more of the pop variety. Albeit really great pop, not bubblegum pop or anything. But as a guitar player I did come to respect his playing quite a bit after seeing him put on some pretty slick guitar displays in that George Harrison tribute and during the Super Bowl halftime show. It really surprised me because as an extremely casual "fan" I didn't think of him as a guitar player really. Since then I've been meaning to check out more of his stuff but never got around to it.

You might want to check out his greatest hits album(s), Purple Rain being one of the first, and then work your way down to his latest (and last.)

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Then you were two years ahead of the curve....

Oops, I should have said 1983.

 

[The Old Mixer]

You're getting warmer....

 

[stardream]

I don't have any particular memories of Prince. He was a talented individual and his songs were always there in the background and I enjoyed them. Now, out of all his songs SEVEN is stuck in my head.