The Return.

If I have to tell you who D'Angelo is you may be on the wrong blog. Anyway, Hell may be freezing over with reports of him touring and possibly, just maybe, sorta kinda, planning on releasing a NEW album THIS YEAR! Please Sir...may I have another!


GQ Interview.

Prince Hates You. Maybe. Allegedly.

Major Disclaimer: I really wrestled with the idea of tackling this subject. Prince is now and will always be THE preeminent musical force in my little corner of the world. His musical legacy is intact and beyond anyones ability to denounce. This article is not about that. This is one fans opinion on the state of Prince's relationship with his fans...it ain't good is the short version, the 12 inch version is below. Read on reader.

Remember when Prince, the Minneapolis Miracle, was the cutting edge on the musical scene? The true American "rude boy". Fuck Neo, Prince was the One back in the day. The brother threw the ultimate house parties with his albums ( not CDs kiddies but 33 and 1/3 of magic coated wax). The range he covered made it hard to believe ALL that music came from one cat...but it did. The Hits: "I wanna be your lover","1999", "Purple Rain", "Kiss" . Album cuts like "Head", "D.M.S.R", "Lady Cab Driver" kept it movin'. The killer B-sides: "She's always in my hair", "Girl", "17 days", "Erotic City", "Another Lonely Christmas", man it seemed like the "purple music" pouring out of Minneapolis would never stop. Bottom line: Prince was the definitive musical force of his time. Now he's something else all together.

This is not about his musical prowess, hell that's beyond reproach. It's about his complete disrespect for his fan base. Do a search for Prince fan web sites. Did you find a few? If so check back in a month or two and see if they're still there. I can guarantee if they have any pictures, video, or real CONTENT you would like to see they won't be for long. His legal team will send them one of his famous cease and desist letters.

See, Prince does more time policing his internet presence than making music these days. Teaming up with Web Sheriff, suing Youtube( why would anyone in there right mind sue a site that advertises your product for free) , Pirate Bay ( THIS I understand they do provide opportunities to download copy written material) , and ebay ( they allow the sale of bootlegs and fake merchandise ...perhaps unknowingly). Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with anyone suing someone that is illegally profiting financially from their intellectual or "real" property, BUT I don't understand how preventing your fans from sharing free content is damaging a artist. This is from the man that used the catch phrase "free the music" during the 90's.

From the attack on the Prince fanzine Uptown Magazine back in the day to the recent pissing match between www.housequake.com, www.princefams.com, and www.prince.org ( that has resulted in the formation of a "resistance group", PFU-Prince Fans United) things have taken a turn from the ridiculous to the just plane assinine. Prince actually wrote a song (PFUNK) that vaguely ( that's me being charitable) outlines his feelings on the PFU group ( the song and the details can be heard and read here).

The trading communities have been devastated. Web sites shut down. Fan communities disbanded. Maybe Prince is not the One from the Matrix movies. Maybe he's the system of control Neo fought against. Maybe he's a rich millionaire with no connection to real people anymore. Maybe.Allegedly.

Update:New Article from USA Today

Ars technica Article
Tot's Mom vs. Prince
Idolator.com article

(One of the) Best By Far

Omar Lye-Fook.The Brit-funker has been blowing my mind since I picked up a CD import of his first release "There's Nothing Like This" from Atlanta CD (RIP) back in '91. As cool as that was, it didn't even begin to hint at how amazing his follow up disc "MUSIC" would be! The horns, the melodies, the VOICE. Like a handful of others around Atlanta I was asking "Who is this guy"?! For those in the know it almost seemed like Omar was a musical version of Fight Club: "The first rule of Fight club IS we don't talk about Fight Club".

The guy just kept dropping musical bombs on me and the faithful: 94's "For Pleasure", followed by 97's "This is Not a Love Song", 00's "Best By Far" ( perfectly titled by the way). I waited for him to blow up! And I waited. And Waited. Then I had a epiphany... this dudes music is beyond the corporate machine. He bobs and weaves , he counter punches, you can't predict him musically. He's a member of the old guard that puts the sound in front of the "product". He's a music lovers musician; he challenges like Prince or Miles. You stand still, he'll keep movin'.

Friday night, the wife and I will be checking the brother out at Underground Atlanta's Sugarhill. If you act right I may return with a review and a picture or two. Rest assured when he sings his latest single "Sing (if you want it)" we will!

Official Omar Web Site
Excellent article on Omar from Kick Mag.
Omar Biography/Discography from Allmusic.

Never Can Say Goodbye.

I'm almost at a loss for words. First the great Bernie Mac passing away at such a young age and now the legendary Isaac Hayes . For some reason the loss of the people with the gift to reach us through laughter and song REALLY hits home. Something about the silencing of that singular voice simply hurts. It also slams home a few issue with personal mortality that can be hard to examine.

You have heard the last Isaac Hayes song, the last Bernie Mac joke, the last Luther Vandross tune. It reminds us that we have or will soon hear the last from our own loved ones. That hurts. After the hurt though one has to focus on the moments...THE MOMENTS. That doesn't just apply to musicians or comedians that touched us but mostly to the people we actually know that touched us.

Never can say goodbye? You don't have. Remember them.

Update: Here are two excellent essays on Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes from The Root.com. Be sure to give a listen to this interview from NPR (recorded 7.28.94) "Remembering Soul Icon Isaac Hayes". Good stuff.

Sly Stone gone bye bye.

When diving in the funk the Doughboy often wonders what happened to Sylvester Stewert AKA Sly Stone. Sly was ( as anyone that has ears and aural sensation should know) a pioneer in the musical arena of funk on par with likes of James Brown. That only begins to touch the musical legacy this guy left. The Family Stone exploded in 1968 with Dance to the Music ( their second album) and never looked back. Hits and more hits followed album after album. The biggest ,1969's STAND!, included four hit singles ( including Everyday People, Stand, I want to take you higher, and Sing a Simple song)! This guy was Prince before Prince realized he was Prince! He was that good.


And then came drugs.


If you doubt the esteem this guy was held in heres a few qoutes from his peers.

• "He's my idol; forget all that peer stuff.I heard 'Stand!,' and it was like: Man , forget it! That band was perfect. And Sly was like all the Beatles and all of Motown in one. He was the baddest thing around"

George Clinton

• "he took music in a new direction, another step forward. He definitely had some potent stuff, and some new stuff, in a new voice. It was this funky, street-y, but pop R&B music. I was very much a fan."

Lamont Dozier

• "He was so creative, one of the most talented guys I've ever met. It was inspirational being around him. He made some great music. He just wasn't happy in his personal life. He got to the point he wouldn't even listen to his own stuff. That's paranoia. As the drugs set in, the warm, creative side went away. And then it got worse and worse. He was a person out of control."

Bobby Womack

Hundreds of books and articles ( like this Vanity Fair story) tell the story better than I can. Basically disillusionment with the 60's and heavy drug use lead to Sly becoming a recluse on level that even Howard Hughes would have said "damn brother, you need to get out more".

As fan of the guy it does warm my heart to think at least he did not pull a Hendrix or Joplin. He's not with us but at least he's still WITH US!

Sly go bye bye.