The Golden Prince
Hello Kiddies,
It's been a very hectic time here in the HSB, but we are breaking radio silence to bear some bad news and pay a tribute to a musical hero.
As everyone knows by now thanks to many media sources, the man known as Prince Rogers Nelson left us for that great Purple House in the sky at 57. There will of course be speculation about how he died, but I like to remember how he lived. Likewise, you could probably look up endless facts, figures, and opinions about him, so let's share our own personal memories.
Prince was part of the holy trinity of pop deities born in the Midwest in 1958 along with Michael Jackson and Madonna (who I really hope is staying healthy). Prince was a prominent part of our little box of 45s, starting with 1999 and Little Red Corvette in 1983. I had the Purple Rain single which was actually on purple vinyl with a plastic sleeve. Songs like Raspberry Beret were staples of my adolescence and Prince and his proteges Vanity (who also tragically passed earlier this year), Jody Watley, Sheena Easton, and Sheila E, fueled my interest in funk, dance, and R&B.
Fast forward to my renewed interest in music a decade later and I came back to Prince who delivered on the Batman soundtrack, great rock tunes like 7, and what was probably my favorite Prince record, The Gold Experience. Which we'll revisit shortly.
I finally got to see Prince perform live in 2004 and it was as amazing as you might guess. Prince was in great form for that tour with alternating acoustic and electric sets. He finally embraced his hits and showcased them very well. He even played Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love'! Which was fitting considering just how much he influenced metal and hard rock music.
While Purple was his favorite and most famous color, I liked him in Gold. This overlooked (and now sadly out of print) masterpiece was during his tumultuous time in his career where his legal battles overshadowed his music. Sad really because there are some gems on that album. Like this one. This is a rare sighting of Prince on YouTube for reasons he so eloquently stated. Since it's not commercially available at this point, I present it for reference purposes. Enjoy it while it's there folks. Rest in Peace Purple One, you were Golden.
It's been a very hectic time here in the HSB, but we are breaking radio silence to bear some bad news and pay a tribute to a musical hero.
As everyone knows by now thanks to many media sources, the man known as Prince Rogers Nelson left us for that great Purple House in the sky at 57. There will of course be speculation about how he died, but I like to remember how he lived. Likewise, you could probably look up endless facts, figures, and opinions about him, so let's share our own personal memories.
Prince was part of the holy trinity of pop deities born in the Midwest in 1958 along with Michael Jackson and Madonna (who I really hope is staying healthy). Prince was a prominent part of our little box of 45s, starting with 1999 and Little Red Corvette in 1983. I had the Purple Rain single which was actually on purple vinyl with a plastic sleeve. Songs like Raspberry Beret were staples of my adolescence and Prince and his proteges Vanity (who also tragically passed earlier this year), Jody Watley, Sheena Easton, and Sheila E, fueled my interest in funk, dance, and R&B.
Fast forward to my renewed interest in music a decade later and I came back to Prince who delivered on the Batman soundtrack, great rock tunes like 7, and what was probably my favorite Prince record, The Gold Experience. Which we'll revisit shortly.
I finally got to see Prince perform live in 2004 and it was as amazing as you might guess. Prince was in great form for that tour with alternating acoustic and electric sets. He finally embraced his hits and showcased them very well. He even played Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love'! Which was fitting considering just how much he influenced metal and hard rock music.
While Purple was his favorite and most famous color, I liked him in Gold. This overlooked (and now sadly out of print) masterpiece was during his tumultuous time in his career where his legal battles overshadowed his music. Sad really because there are some gems on that album. Like this one. This is a rare sighting of Prince on YouTube for reasons he so eloquently stated. Since it's not commercially available at this point, I present it for reference purposes. Enjoy it while it's there folks. Rest in Peace Purple One, you were Golden.
Click to view