Prince

Nothing fancy here, just a post designed to burn off energy via the guitar, and Prince on the fret-board.

I was more of a casual fan of Prince until I met Eric. He’s a tall, strapping, shaved-headed, mustachioed, white brut of a hulk that you would most likely at first glance take for a heavy metal freak. But damn, this guy knew and lived funk! And Prince was his favorite. He’d revel in delight as I turned him on to all sorts of gems, while he in turn would bath me in all that is funk or Prince.

I was re-educated as to how good the man actually is. And what a gifted musician he truly is. The man can swoon. The man can jive. The man can funk. The man can hop.

But I am here to tell you; the man can play that guitar!

Peach
Three chord rock with all the frills of a master musician! A playful romp with an irresistible pounding, he revs up and tears this apart with some snarling fuzz and attitude of plenty. There’s the bass that threatens to spring through the speakers, drums so bright that it sounds like someone pounding on coffee cans, but the guitar solo alone is enough to have you longing to see it live. Heck, the whole guitar track is flawless.

Summertime, feelin’ fine, getting wild
All that’s on my mind
Here she come, dressed in red
Get her done is all that’s in my head
Her hot pants can’t hide her cheeks
She’s a peach

Purple House
I am the first to admit that I don’t understand his obsession with the color purple, but whatever. Here, maybe it’s appropriate enough with how he destructs and re-constructs this Jimi Hendrix tune, to take the liberty of slightly renaming it – spritzing his scent so to speak.

From the opening wah-wah strains (got me already) to the voluptuous and sensual lead he has taken all those present and led them successfully down the path to guitar righteousness. He’s putting on a show here.

Pay attention to the almost gospel feel of the vocal track that calls back and forth making all bounce in their chair. It is at once stunning in its simplicity and grandiose in its power.

Wait a minute, something’s wrong!
This key won’t unlock this door.
I got a bad, bad feeling.
That my baby don’t live here no more.
That’s alright – I still got my guitar!

Prince: Peach (50)
From: Prince – The Hits: ‘B’ Sides, Disk 2 [1993]

Prince: Purple House (64)
From: Power of a Soul: Tribute to Jimi Hendrix [2004]