walking upstream…
Prince
sourcesWikipedia · Ultimate Classic Rock · The Current2
Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016) emerged from Minneapolis as a virtuosic one-man band, playing nearly every instrument on his early albums and fusing funk's rhythmic discipline with rock guitar theatrics and new wave synths into the 'Minneapolis Sound.' From the sprawling party-funk of '1999' through the global blockbuster 'Purple Rain,' he became one of pop's most prolific and complete auteurs, writing, producing, and performing with an output few artists have matched.
the sound in question
1984
When Doves CryPrince
walk the tributaries ↓
Sly and the Family Stone1960s · Funk / Soul / Psychedelic rock
Prince reportedly dug deeper into Sly and the Family Stone's catalog than any other artist's, covering 'Everyday People' live dozens of times over the years, and the murky, drum-machine-driven haze of Sly's 'There's a Riot Goin' On' album became a direct blueprint for Prince's own early drum-machine productions.
listen: upstream & here
1971
Family AffairSly and the Family Stone
1982
1999Prince
listen forSit with the hazy, drum-machine pulse of Sly and the Family Stone's 'Family Affair,' then put on Prince's '1999' and notice that same motorik, machine-driven groove pushed into a brighter, more danceable register.
James Brown1960s–70s · Funk / Soul / R&B
Prince's stepfather took him to see James Brown perform live as a kid, and Prince has said that when he plays his own rhythm guitar parts he's thinking of Brown's guitarists Jimmy Nolen and Catfish Collins — the same clipped, percussive funk chording that anchors so much of Prince's own sound.
listen: upstream & here
1967
Cold SweatJames Brown
1986
KissPrince
listen forListen to the tight, stuttering guitar scratch driving James Brown's 'Cold Sweat,' then Prince's 'Kiss' — both let a single wiry guitar figure carry almost the entire groove, with everything else stripped away.
George Clinton1970s · Funk / Psychedelic soul / R&B
Prince has credited George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic collective with showing him it was okay to be goofy and theatrical onstage without sacrificing being taken seriously; he frequently covered Parliament's 'Flash Light' live and leaned on P-Funk's warped, electronically altered vocal effects for tracks like 'Housequake.'
listen: upstream & here
1977
Flash LightGeorge Clinton
1987
HousequakePrince
listen forPlay Parliament's booming, vocoder-warped 'Flash Light' and then Prince's party-starting 'Housequake' — both build a track almost entirely out of call-and-response shouting and rubbery, treated bass rather than a conventional verse-chorus melody.