Four years ago today we lost perhaps the greatest all-around musical entertainer of all time

One of life's simple pleasures was going to the store to buy the new Prince album. Prince would (more or less) release an album a year. The guy released 41 in less than forty years.

Well, that pleasure, that excitement of getting a new Prince album and not knowing what the hell was going to be on it went away when Prince died. I haven't heard a new Prince song in four years. And I know I will never hear another. That is a sad fact.

 

Great guitar player.

 

Totally agree. Off all the pop-stars of the last 40 years he was a true musician.

 

I never understood the appeal. Tried to watch Purple Rain last year. Bored the hell out of me.

Different strokes. Not everyone would like my tastes either. It's a good thing there is so much music to choose from.

 

I think the first guitar solo I learned was Lets Go Crazy. Not really the whole thing, just the first three note pattern. I loved that song. I was 8.

I also remember as a kid seeing his video for Kiss and thinking what a weirdo with his effeminate behavior and dress, the same feeling I had about MJ grabbing his crotch. This weird sexual energy that was supposed to be OK and cool, but to me as a kid, was just weird. I remember thinking, why are adults OK with this weirdo grabbing his crotch or this dude dressed up in a bustier dancing like a stripper? It's still weird today, and weird that somehow nobody bats an eye. But there was a lot of that in music during those times, the glam rock scene, Boy George. We can see how things got to where they are today. I do appreciate musicians that just let the music do the talking without putting so much effort into the image, or being "edgy".

 

Great musician, pretty good magician.

 

I understand he was a musical genius, but, I don't think I know much about him.
Did not have any of his records. I may have skipped the whole Madonna , Prince
Mariah Carey thing that was going on.

 

When I saw the title thread I immediately was hoping you were talking about Prince! Hard to believe it’s been 5 years. I handed out purple guitar picks in his honor and I’ve run into several people who say they still have and cherish them.

Edit: Oops, 4 years. Still hard to believe.

 

In answer to the OP's question, no one, no one could touch him.

I really loved his too short psychedelic phase and this is one of my favorites from that period . . .

 

Let me see he did Purple Rain and changed his name to a squiggle. After that I don’t know much but I was never into pop so he wasn’t ever my thing.

 

Not too long, and just pretty damned cool, working the audience like mining a claim. Only a few can really do this well.

 

All hail the Purple One !

So I’ll post one I’ve done many times before that shows Prince strictly as a guitar player/band leader - on another guy’s song !

Exquisite fills, solo’s , comping, rhythm playing , control - it’s all there.

 

I’m not a believer in magic, but that came really close to making me a convert. I had goosebumps.

 

When I read the headline I actually thought Glen Campbell at first. I recall an interview with Glen where the host ask if he was the best guitar player in the world? Glen said no, but he was the most versatile....I happen to agree as he played every genere and did the studio work better than the artists themselves. He also had the song of the decade with the distinction of being the one artist to knock the Beetles off the top spot.

 

I lost any shred of respect for him after that total jerk move he did with Captain Kirk's guitar on TV.

 

Wow! 4 years, already. Hard to believe. A heck of a musician. I'll save my thoughts on who did a better halftime show, and who is a better musician in the pop world, as Prince really does deserve some props. His rhythm guitar playing is still a reference point, and a person could do a lot of good for their own playing by working on them.