51–58 of 58 posts
Stevie is amazing, but for "greatest creative run in popular music history," I feel like we still have to give that to The Beatles, no? In 5 years they released Help, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, Sgt. Pepper's, The White Album, Abbey Road and Let it Be.
Stevie did everything himself, writing & playing ALL instruments. Beatles had several session players.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I love Prince. Prince was maddeningly talented, shockingly prolific, and produced an amazing and wildly underrated (still!) opus over his career. Prince will be remembered as one of the most important pop musicians in history. Yet there is no 5 year stretch in Prince's career that compares to what Stevie Wonder did from 1972-1976.
Pick any 5 years between 1982 and 1989: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_albums_discography 7 platinum albums. And bear in mind that gave away whole albums that were hits, and wrote classics like Manic Monday (while asleep) and Nothing Compares 2U and gave them away in this time. If you want a stretch of pure brilliance, I'd pick: Purple Rain Around the World in a Day Parade Sign O the Times Lovesexy During this…
Also, responsible for the background music in this cult movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOOwGhaFpVk [NSFW]
For the curious, Victor Wooten, sacred virtuoso bass player said in videos that Prince influenced him on the bass, saying Prince's stuff was unheard of. And Prince isn't even a bass fan, I believe he was more in love with guitar and keyboards.
This pales in comparison to Prince's outpourings.
I love Prince. Prince was maddeningly talented, shockingly prolific, and produced an amazing and wildly underrated (still!) opus over his career. Prince will be remembered as one of the most important pop musicians in history. Yet there is no 5 year stretch in Prince's career that compares to what Stevie Wonder did from 1972-1976.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is not even close to being 'one of the first synthesizers'. It's probably the first digital piano anyone took seriously, in addition to introducing sampling keyboards into the world, but synths had been around for more-or-less thirty years by 1983.
yea you are right. I confused synths with 'new generation of music synthesizers capable of accurately duplicating the sounds of real instruments. ' [1] 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil
A ROMpler has samples built in ( in ROM, although that doesn't mean masked/permanent ROM - probably FLASH ).
I'd compare it to when PCs had soundcards with FM MIDI vs. Soundfonts. The quality in sound went up immensely.
I remember "discovering" a second hand copy of Innervisions whilst at university in the early 90s. Up to that point I knew Stevie Wonder as the guy who recorded "I Just Called to Say I Love You", a song I hated as a kid. Well that opinion changed pretty sharpish I can tell you. I've bought so many albums and singles since that I really, really like but I don't think Innervisions has ever been bettered. Just my humble…
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innervisions#Track_listing
> And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
> And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Which admittedly is an slightly odd fit with the sense of having himself been given a second chance and a change of life which SW expresses in the song (and apparently in the NYT interview), but so it goes apparently.
I remember "discovering" a second hand copy of Innervisions whilst at university in the early 90s. Up to that point I knew Stevie Wonder as the guy who recorded "I Just Called to Say I Love You", a song I hated as a kid. Well that opinion changed pretty sharpish I can tell you. I've bought so many albums and singles since that I really, really like but I don't think Innervisions has ever been bettered. Just my humble…
My first rule of music is that any artist that became popular before the '80s, was terrible in the '80s. Look at Aretha Franklin. Who's Zoomin' who? What? Aretha darling, what were you thinking? There are a few exceptions to the rule, like Michael Jackson.
[1] there may be a few exceptions but they're Higgs-Boson rare.
[2] feel free to take it with a pinch of salt if you actually like that kind of "music". :P
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I know I will get down-voted for this, but I just never really got the Prince vibe. I can appreciate his work, and the love a lot of people have for him. But I can't name one song that struck a chord with me. Sorry
Prince wasn't super high on my list until I saw him live twice 7-8 years ago. Blew my mind. Almost entirely different repertoire both times. Completely in a league of his own. Amazing energy, musicianship, really incredible player, and he wasn't young anymore either but just kept hitting it hard. Played a show like that every day in London for weeks. Plus afterparties a couple of times a week where he would play for…