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The best songwriters of all time (18): Prince
His talents as a multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, bandleader and performer are legendary. But none of them would have come to fruition without his own, highly idiosyncratic songs. In terms of content, Prince was (almost) all about one thing. No songwriter has explored sex in such detail and ingenuity, whether it was a little flirtation like in “Little Red Corvette” and “U Got the Look” or more sweaty activities like in “When Doves Cry” and “If I was Your Girlfriend.”
Musically, however, his horizon knew no limits. He learned early on how to add a clever pop hook to a killer funk groove. Prince mastered all variations of the classic rock song. From the three-chord screamer (“Let’s Go Crazy”) to the silky power ballad (“Purple Rain”).
Leaving the orbit of the pop song
Afterwards, he finally left the orbit of pop songs with his harmonic experiments and increasingly jazzy compositions.
“He found the right balance between innovation and America’s digestive organs,” said Questlove, analyzing his great idol. “He was the only musician who gave a baby food that you wouldn’t normally feed even an older child. But because he was a master of the right dosage, he knew exactly how to ensure successful digestion.”
The best songwriters of all time (18): Prince
Only Prince himself was even more flowery when describing the creative process: “Sometimes I hear a melody in my head,” he said in a 1998 interview, “and it’s the first color of a painting. Then you take other sounds to build the song layer by layer.”
Dr. Fink is auctioning off Prince’s mega-rare, unreleased Rebels album
He was one of Prince’s most enduring companions: Matthew “Matt” Fink alias Dr. Finch. The keyboardist was in the maestro’s band between 1978 and 1991, i.e. in the imperial phase of the genius. Fink played like a keyboard dervish on albums like “Dirty Mind” (1980) and “Parade” (1986) and was even called out by Prince in the “Purple Rain” song “Baby I’m a Star.”
The keyboardist with the doctor’s smock stage costume and stethoscope now wants to auction 39 cassettes from a personal Prince archive. All rarities.
Between 6,000 and 12,000 euros
The auction is called “The Dr. Fink Collection: Collection of 39 Prince Archival Cassette Tapes c. 1979 – 1990”. “Invaluable”. The estimated price of the auction, which runs until November 15th, is between 5,000 and 10,000 British pounds (between 6,000 and 12,000 euros).
What’s promised is “an archive of rehearsals, live shows and studio performances” and “rare glimpses into how the notoriously reclusive musician worked in various eras and projects. With material ranging from his time rehearsing and performing with his band in the late 1970s to the periods just before and after his Oscar win for the now classic 1984 film ‘Purple Rain’. They also show how the legendary artist led his band during who instructs rehearsals how they should play their parts and how he discusses with them how some of his music should be performed.
“The Rebels”
Many of the recordings are already known to (bootleg) collectors, such as the “Controversy Rehearsals 1981”, “Get On Up Mountain Long Version 1986” and the legendary “Prince Lovesexy Rehearsal 1988”. A real rarity (although it can be found online) is the tape of “The Rebels”, a hard rock band project from 1980 with Prince and Dez Dickerson as equal songwriters. Prince then dropped the project.
“Each recording in the collection also includes MP3 and WAV files. Because the recordings were collected using various technologies, including boomboxes, high-end studio equipment and mixing consoles, the audio quality of the collection varies from volume to volume,” it continues. Additionally, the cases have a number of cracks, breaks, and peeling labels. This lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Dr. Fink was co-signed.”
Not without charm, but perhaps too private
Real collector’s items, then. The question is which of these rarities could also be published by the estate administrators. Prince boxes are available almost every year (not in 2024). “The Rebels” would be worth it as it is a completed production. Tour rehearsals are intimate snapshots. Not without charm, but perhaps too private.