U Do Not Understand My Quirky Ways

I've been listening to Prince since I was 12. My first 45 was Controversy, purchased on a sunny Saturday back in '81 along with Earth, Wind And Fire's Let's Groove and a fresh stack o' comics. This was on one of my weekly trips with a fellow grade school comic book pal, or with Mom, to Passaic's shopping district. For me it was usually about buying comic books, or science fiction paperbacks, but earlier that particular week I had heard Controversy for the first time on KTU and I was changed forever. The whip crack snare after the hornet synth buzz in the intro - the cyborgian delivery of the main lyric - the sheer charge of that lyric with its references to race and sexuality, even for a 12 year old. I needed to own it and live with it. It was like music made by Martians. Prince and the girls singing along with him were, to me, the most fascinating creatures on the planet. What were they? I kept trying to find out, record after record, until my question had been answered by just listening, becoming one of them in a way by digging on every strange little turn of phrase or flourish in his arrangements or singing. It was a language I understood clearly for a while. It made me want to make music. I understood up until Lovesexy (which I love unconditionally) or thereabouts, and then it slowed. I still bought every record and listened, though I felt there was a lack of focus and innovation and joy happening with Prince and his music, his vision(s) - whatever it was at that moment - so I just kinda gave up a little bit of hope. And in all this time I never once managed to see him play live, except on a bootleg video here and there.

So, it was wonderful to finally see him do his thing in front of an audience, in the flesh, last night. And even though I'm not one of the many touting Musicology as his "return to form", I think it's great how its success has brought him back in front of audiences composed of more than just dyed-in-the-wools like myself. He seems remarkably happy to be doing what he does, and goddamn if he doesn't do it better than anyone.

Wonderful Ass and New Position(Rehearsal) are both c. 1985 workouts with The Revolution. Wonderful Ass should have seen the light of day, I think. It has that trademark c.'84-'85 sound of his: quirky keyboard melodies, flanged out percussion, Wendy's dry, clipped rhythm gtr, and that beautiful champagne cork snare pop. Plus bugged out lyrics. A great song.

The New Position rehearsal is a little example of what Prince, with his magic powers, can (still) do with a minimal groove in a live setting. Enjoy.