Prince

by Brian Morton

  * * *

  Marked by the passage of time though it is, distorted by excessive expectation, warped by spite and wilful misreading, Emancipation is arguably Prince’s most impressive achievement. It is far from being his best album, but it is certainly not just an act of megalomania, nor a posthumous monument. The Egyptological metaphor – which surfaces again on ‘Muse 2 The Pharaoh’, one of the best tracks on 2001’s The Rainbow Children – was widely taken as a further sign of battiness, some Isis/Osiris nonsense cooked up with his belly-dancing sister/wife, but in its three-hour span the album itself provides a convincing foundation for it.

  Listening to Emancipation straight through is a considerable undertaking because almost every song is both a deliberate reminder of past styles and experiments, and at the same time offers an earnest view of what might yet be to come. Where Sign ‘O’ The Times married a new social awareness to deceptively lightweight pop within a free-flowing jazz setting, where The Black Album rode a hard, cold riff from beginning to end, Emancipation has a coherence of tone and structure that seems entirely at odds with its disparate means. Great albums are always more than mere sequences of great songs. Really great albums – Revolver, Pet Sounds, ‘Automatic’ For The People, OK Computer – are rarely more than a dozen to fifteen tracks in length. Emancipation has thirty-seven.

  Among them, there are flaring inconsistencies. ‘White Mansion’ and ‘Damned If Do’ have much of the self-pity that broke through on Chaos and Disorder, but then ‘Slave’ turns Prince’s private woes into a chilling field blues which for all its reference to the Warner dispute has a universal resonance. Other inconsistencies seem more ironic. Appended to the cheerful ‘Joint 2 Joint’ is a safe-sex warning to wear a condom; the very next track is ‘The Holy River’, and the next again ‘Let’s Have a Baby’. Mayte was apparently moved that Prince had furnished his mansion with a crib, even before they met. In a characteristic shapeshift he suggests that seeing it turns her on, pushes the button marked PLAY. Such glimpses of the former, supposedly unregenerate Prince surface throughout – ‘Sleep Around’, ‘Face Down’ – but the emotional temper of these songs is never what the listener is led to expect and their place in the sequence always implies other agendas.

  Three enormous slabs of music that gather into their own secret chambers much of the work that has occupied him for the last two decades. The difference between Prince and the pyramid builders is, again, that he is also the thief. These treasure-houses are wilfully despoiled even before they are sealed off in the final mix. Their sound is deliberately left ragged in places. There is the usual irruption of unexplained sound, abrupt cuts, mid-bar edits. The transcendence is always kept at a human level. For all the promise of ‘The Cross’ or ‘Saviour’ here, Prince’s next world is always a new version of this world, expressed in music.

  * * *

  In his mid-forties, he lives more quietly, dresses more soberly, and was rumoured to have married again, to twenty-five-year-old Paisley Park employee Manuela Testolini in a secret ceremony conducted in Hawaii on New Year’s Eve 2001. Neither he nor Mani have confirmed or denied the story, nor whether the ritual reflected Prince’s rumoured conversion to the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

  He continues to work and to perform, again more quietly and soberly, but steadily consolidating the audience lost in the dark years of the 1990s. Almost inevitably, when set against the paradigm-shifting work of Dirty Mind, Purple Rain and Sign ‘O’ The Times, or against the sheer bulk and symbolic potency of Emancipation, recent work has seemed low-key, even muted. Released in 2001, The Rainbow Children saw Prince working with a new band – including Larry Graham and with only Morris Hayes surviving from past line-ups – and offering a gentle hint as to how he has found happiness with Mani: ‘She Loves Me 4 Me’. The following year’s N.E.W.S. saw a further personnel change, but also the return of the loyal Eric Leeds, and a project that contained further references to the New World Edition of the Bible, and sparked more rumours that Prince might have thrown in his lot with the Witnesses. Then, in 2004, the quiet, competent Musicology, which has to be the wryest, most telling title of his entire twenty-five-year span.

  Prince is arguably the most important popular musican of his time. He is responsible for no single, identifiable stylistic development, but yet remains entirely sui generis. His private life, temperament, height, sexual orientation, religious affiliation have all been pored over as obsessively as his music, and yet it is the musicologists rather than the gossip columnists, sexual therapists, cult leaders or Moral Majoritarians who will pronounce the final word on his life and career. If those two threads are not so tightly interwound as to defy separation. Prince lives to make music and vice versa. It is his essence, a reverential kleptomania that seems incapable of being satiated but which arranges its booty in constantly fascinating forms.

  Emancipation freed him but confirmed his enslavement to a complex muse. The years after robbed him of a wife and son, of his mother and the father who played such a powerful and ambiguous part in his development. Never before has Prince’s future seemed more open. The only guarantee? ‘A new song every day, for the rest of my life.’

  Afterword

  The Prince story is not over, but its dramas and its innovations now seem locked in an unexpectedly distant past. To some extent the rise of hip-hop culture ended Prince’s creative reign in much the same way as it finally demonstrated the finite nature of Miles Davis’s creative flexibility. Though both musicians borrowed elements of it – Prince with more conviction – these were little more than staying gestures in the face of the inevitable. Though few of them shared his ecstatic utopianism, Prince and the rappers were more thoroughly divided by a broad shift in black music towards live improvisation while Prince, for all his extravagant live acts, remained essentially a studio artist, crafting his music in layers and textures. Recorded rap is a curiously unsatisfactory phenomenon and, for all the myriad ‘rap’ parts on records in other genres, only uneasily assimilable to pop, soul and jazz recording.

  It might be argued that Prince simply waited out a phase in American music when his distinctive values were not widely appreciated and then quietly returned to prominence after the millennium, restored to his original identity and still able to create exciting pop/soul/funk. He draws on a vast back catalogue of material, committed to paper, to Sony Pro tapes and to hard drives over nearly thirty years and there is no reason to believe that he will not continue to do so. It is exactly that long since For You signalled the arrival of a bright new star on the American scene. The enigma of Prince is how little stylistic impact he has made relative to the length and success of his career. There is no obvious ‘school’ of Prince, no obvious line of descent and while one occasionally hears an artist or group who has tried to reproduce that chiming, insistent rhythm guitar, bassless mix and chunky electronic percussion, these are mostly decorative rather than structural devices, in the same way that Prince’s borrowing from hip-hop was rarely structural.

  As he approaches fifty Prince both covets and rejects senior artist status. He is wise enough to have evolved slowly away from earlier personas, styles and image without ever leaving them entirely behind. No more Ziggy Stardust moments for him. He retains just enough of his old subversive edge to suggest that he is still capable of surprise and, ironically, just enough to remind us that it was all a carefully donned disguise in the first place.

  Prince’s story, even in its darkest moments, is one of estimable control, a career devoted to specific musical and creative ends with entire concentration and with few significant distractions. Around him, there has grown a substantial mythology, much of which he now – fatherless, motherless, married again – quietly ignores. Most of it was smoke and mirrors, crumbs and trails for the media, who gleefully accepted every new twist in the story, thought they had Prince firmly in pocket – sometimes in the cross-hairs – and only wakened up late, as he began again to count his money, to the awareness that they had never had him after
all . . .

  2006

  Discography

  Notes

  * = as Prince and The Revolution

  # = as Prince and New Power Generation

  ## = as New Power Generation only

  = as

  Albums

  [Album (Label, first release date – approx. worldwide sales (rounded) – US/UK chart position)]

  For You (Warner Bros, October 1978 – <500,000 – 163/–)

  Prince (Warner Bros, October 1979 – 2,000,000 – 22/–)

  Dirty Mind (Warner Bros, October 1980 – 1,500,000 – 45/–)

  Controversy (Warner Bros, November 1981 – 2,500,000 – 21/–)

  1999 (* 2 LP, Warner Bros, February 1983 – 6,000,000 – 9/30)

  Purple Rain (* Warner Bros, August 1984 – 20,000,000 – 1/7)

  Around the World in a Day (* Paisley Park, 1985 – 4,500,000 – 1/5)

  Parade (Warner Bros, May 1986 – >4,000,000 – 3/4)

  [Crystal Ball (Warner Bros, 1986/7 – withdrawn)]

  Sign ‘O’ The Times (2 LP, Warner Bros, March 1987 – 4,000,000 – 6/4)

  The Black Album (scheduled Warner Bros, November 1987; finally released Paisley Park, September 1994 – >1,000,000 – 47/36)

  Lovesexy (Paisley Park, February 1988 – <3,000,000 – 11/1)

  Batman (Paisley Park, June 1989 – <5,000,000 – 1/1)

  Graffiti Bridge (Paisley Park, August 1990 – >2,000,000 – 6/1)

  Diamonds and Pearls (# Paisley Park, October 1991 – 6,500,000 – 3/2) (# Paisley Park, October 1992 – >2,500,000 – 5/1)

  Goldnigga (## Paisley Park, 1993 – n/a)

  Come (Paisley Park, August 1994 – 15/1)

  The Gold Experience (Warner Bros/NPG, October 1995 – <1,500,000 – 6/4)

  Exodus (## Paisley Park, 1995 – n/a)

  Chaos and Disorder (Warner Bros, July 1996 – <1,500,000 – 26/14)

  Emancipation (3 CD, EMI/NPG, November 1996 – 2,000,000 – 11/18)

  New Power Soul (## NPG, June 1998 – n/a – 22/–)

  Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (Arista/NPG, November 1999 – 1,750,000 – 18/–)

  The Rainbow Children (Redline, November 2001 – >850,000 – 109/–)

  N.E.W.S. (instrumental NPG/Big Daddy, July 2003)

  Musicology (Columbia/NPG, April 2004 – >6,250,000 – 3/3)

  3121 (Universal, March 2006 – 3,000,000 – 1/9)

  Through NPG Music Club only:

  Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic ( )

  One Nite Alone . . . Live! (December 2002 – 700,000)

  C-Note (downloadable – 2003)

  Xpectation (instrumental – downloadable – 2003)

  The Chocolate Invasion (downloadable – 2004)

  The Slaughterhouse (downloadable – 2004)

  Compilations and outtakes:

  Dirty Mind/Controversy (cassette compilation of albums, 1981)

  The Hits 1 (Warner Bros, September 1993 – >3,000,000 – 46/5)

  The Hits 2 (Warner Bros, September 1993 – <3,500,000 – 54/5)

  The Hits/The B Sides (3 CD Warner Bros, September 1993 – >1,500,00 – 19/4)

  1800 NEW FUNK (Prince songs by other acts on NPG, 1994)

  Crystal Ball (3 CD outtakes, NPG, March 1998 – 1,000,000 – 62/–; also see above for withdrawn album of same name)

  Royal Box (import only box set, March 1999)

  The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (ouch! Warner Bros, August 1999 – n/a – 85/–)

  The Very Best of Prince (Rhino, July 2001 – >2,500,000 – 55/2)

  Ultimate (Rhino/WEA, March 2006 – n/a – 61/24)

  Others:

  The Beautiful Experience (EP, 1994)

  Girl 6 (soundtrack – Warner Bros, 1996 – n/a – 75/–)

  One Man Jam (teenage Prince with Pepe Willie/94 East, issued on Recall, August 2002)

  Selected singles

  [album (label – date)

  ‘single’ (US Billboard/r ’n’ b/dance/UK chart positions)]

  from:

  For You (WB – 1978)

  ‘Soft and Wet’ (92/12/–/–)

  ‘Just as Long as We’re Together’ (–/91/–/–)

  Prince (WB – 1979)

  ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ (11/1/2/41)

  ‘Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad’ (–/13/–/–)

  ‘Still Waiting’ (–/65/–/–)

  ‘Sexy Dancer’ (–/–/2/–)

  Dirty Mind (WB – 1980)

  ‘Uptown’ (101/5/5–)

  ‘Dirty Mind’ (–/65/5/–)

  ‘Do It All NIght’ (–/–/–/–)

  Controversy (1981)

  ‘Controversy’ (70/3/1/– reissue 1993, UK 5)

  ‘Let’s Work’ (104/9/1/–)

  ‘Do Me, Baby’ (–/–/–/–)

  1999 (1982)

  ‘1999’ (12/4/1/25 – reissued 1998 & 1999 – highest UK 10)

  ‘Little Red Corvette’ (6/15/61/54 – reissued 1989 with ‘1999’, UK 92)

  ‘Delirious’ (8/18/–/–)

  ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Married’ (52/55/52/–)

  Purple Rain (1984)

  ‘When Doves Cry’ (1/1/1/4)

  ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ (1/1/1/7)

  ‘Purple Rain’ (2/4/–/8)

  ‘I Would Die 4 U’ (8/11/50/58)

  Around the World in a Day (1985)

  ‘Paisley Park’ (–/–/–/18)

  ‘Raspberry Beret’ (2/3/4/25)

  ‘Pop Life’ (7/8/5/60)

  Parade (1986)

  ‘Kiss’ (1/1/1/6 – reissued 1988, UK 76)

  ‘Mountains’ (23/15/11/–)

  ‘Anotherloverholenyohead’ (63/18/21/36)

  ‘Girls & Boys’ (–/–/31/11)

  Sign ‘O’ The Times (1987)

  ‘Sign ‘O’ The Times’ (3/1//2/10)

  ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’ (67/12/–/20)

  ‘U Got The Look’ (with Sheena Easton: 2/11/–/11)

  ‘I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man’ (10/14/4/29)

  ‘Hot Thing’ (63/14/4/–)

  Lovesexy (1988)

  ‘Alphabet St.’ (8/3/22/9)

  ‘Glam Slam’ (–/44/–/29)

  ‘I Wish You Heaven’ (–/18/–/24)

  Batman (1989)

  ‘Batdance’ (1/1/1/2)

  ‘Partyman’ (18/5/45/14)

  ‘The Arms of Orion’ (with Sheena Easton – 36/–/–/27)

  ‘Scandalous’ (–/5/–/–)

  Graffiti Bridge (1990)

  ‘Thieves in the Temple’ (6/1/9/7)

  ‘New Power Generation’ (64/27/–/26)

  Diamonds and Pearls (1991)

  ‘Gett Off’ (21/6/1/4)

  ‘Cream’ (1/–/–/15)

  ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ (3/1/–/25)

  (1992)

  ‘Sexy MF/Strollin’ (66/76/-/4)

  ‘My Name Is Prince’ (36/25/9/7 – remix UK 51)

  ‘7’ (7!/61/–/27)

  The Hits/B Sides (1993)

  ‘Pink Cashmere’ (50/14/–/–)

  {‘Peach’ (107/14/–/–)

  {‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ (–/62/–/–)

  The Beautiful Experience (1994)

  ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in The World’ (3/2/–/1)

  Come (1994)

  ‘Letitgo’ (31/10/–/–)

  ‘Space’ (–/71/–/–)

  The Gold Experience (1995)

  ‘Hate U’ (12/3/–/20)

  ‘Gold’ (88/92/–/10)

  Emancipation (1996)

  ‘Betcha By Golly Wow’ (31/10/–/11)

  ‘The Holy River’ (58/–/–/19)

  Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (1999)

  ‘The Greatest Romance Ever Sold’ (63/23/–/–)

  Musicology (2004)

  ‘Musicology’ (120/44/–/–)

  ‘Cinnamon Girl’ (–/–/–/43)

  3121 (2006)

  ‘Black Sweat’ (60/82/–/43)

  Selected songs written for or covered+ by other artists:

&nb
sp; Stevie Nicks, ‘Stand Back’ (1983, US 5)

  +Chaka Khan, ‘I Feel For You’ (1984, US 3, UK 1)

  Sheila E, ‘The Glamorous Life’ (1984, US 7)

  ‘The Belle Of St Mark’ (1985, US 34, UK 18)

  ‘A Love Bizarre’ (1986, US 11)

  Sheena Easton, ‘Sugar Walls’ (1985, US 9)

  The Bangles, ‘Manic Monday’ (1986, US 2, UK 2)

  +Art of Noise/Tom Jones, ‘Kiss’ (1988, UK 8)

  +Sinead O’Connor, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ (1990, US 1, UK 1)

  Kid Creole and the Coconuts, ‘The Sex of It’ (1990, UK 29)

  Tevin Campbell, ‘Round and Round’ (1991, US 11)

  Martika, ‘Love . . . Thy Will Be Done’ (1991, US 10, UK 9)

  ‘Martika’s Kitchen’ (1991, UK 17)

  Monie Love, ‘Born 2 B.R.E.E.D’ (1993, UK 18)

  ‘In A Word or 2/The Power’ (1993, UK 33)

  +Ginuwine, ‘When Doves Cry’ (1997, UK 10)

  +Jordan Knight, ‘I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man’ (1999, US 31)

  +Alicia Keys, ‘How Come You Don’t Call Me’ (2002, UK 26)

  +Inaya Day, ‘Nasty Girl’ (2005, UK 9)

  plus material for The Time, The Family, Masarati, Apollonia 6, Vanity 6, Mayte and New Power Generation . . .

  Selected songs written by Prince and recorded by others:

  Paula Abdul, ‘U’; Deborah Allen, ‘Telepathy’; Ingrid Chavez, ‘Elephant Box’; Candy Dulfer, ‘Sunday Afternoon’; Nona Hendryx, ‘Baby Go-Go’; Jill Jones, ‘For Love’; Lois Lane, ‘Qualified’; Dale Bozzio, ‘So Strong’; George Clinton, ‘The Big Pump’; Joe Cocker, ‘Five Women’; Andre Cymone, ‘The Dance Electric’; Ed DeBarge, ‘Tip O’ My Tongue’; Eric Leeds, ‘Times Squared’; Kenny Rogers, ‘You’re My Love’; Earth, Wind & Fire, ‘Super Hero’; Graham Central Station, ‘Utopia’.