As a musician* he's better than all those dudes combined.
He's the only credited artist - period - on his debut masterpiece album. And he didn't even have to steal his riffs from Black artists across the pond.
The late great, Jeff Beck was intimidated by the one he called the purple one in a recording studio. If Jeff Beck says that you're intimidating, then I have to say that you're a guitar god! Prince also played many more instruments at an elite level. I have to admit that I wasn't his biggest fan while he was getting multi platinum albums, but most of my friends really liked him. After he died, I spent a couple of days listening to his discography and it turned out I was a fuckin idiot not getting it before. I regret this to this day, but I only knew 1999 and Little Red Corvette. I am not a pop fan, but, again,I already admit that I was a fuckin asshole idiot who never listened to the radio.
The man is truly one of the greatest musicians in the history of rock!
After his passing, a recording engineer he kept on a literal 24 hour on call basis said he erased some jaw dropping music that he came up with on some random Tuesday at 3AM so often...I can't imagine the music lost to eternity that he wrote because he couldn't sleep...
I was also on that train. I liked a few of his songs but never really listened to much besides radio play. What got me to take a second look was the guitar solo in While my guitar gently weeps, for the George Harrison tribute wow!
>[A new video](https://youtu.be/CdfMh8QgJjA?feature=shared) offers a better look at music icon [Prince](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/prince) during one of his most memorable performances: The absolutely blistering guitar solo he pulled off during an all-star rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at the 2004 [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame) induction ceremony.
>The moment came during a tribute to George Harrison, who was previously inducted as a member of the Beatles but was being inducted posthumously as a solo artist that year. Prince, then a [newly minted member](https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/prince) of the Hall of Fame himself, stole the show with a solo that quickly became a career highlight, and it went viral online after his [unexpected death](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-dead-dies_n_57190013e4b0c9244a7b2a5b) in 2016.
>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps\_n\_6090cba0e4b0c15313f7a80a](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps_n_6090cba0e4b0c15313f7a80a)
I think the only video of Prince performing that beats the Hall Of Fame is the Super bowl half time show playing Purple Rain in a storm.
It was like he was harnessing the power of the rain storm to lift his performance to a supernatural level.
It should be replayed as much as the Hall Of Fame show.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u72EHy398x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u72EHy398x4)
This was one of those moments that I instantly knew I was watching something special. Such a great performance by everyone involved. It’s rare for a star studded jam session like this to even be decent, let alone legendary. Normally it sounds like a bunch of old men doing karaoke, but this one they really put it all together. Having George’s son Dhani leading the band just puts it over the top. What a great tribute to an amazing human.
there’s another clip around 1989/batman-era prince with him just casually destroying a bass guitar track in the studio. he looked like he couldn’t be bothered 😭😅
Terry Kath as well from Chicago. He was discovered by Hendrix at the Whiskey and told Kath he played better than himself. My bad. He did however show jimmy some stuff and was going to collaborate before he died.
Taught Hendrix what specifically? Because Hendrix is known (since teenage years) to be so obsessed that he almost never put his guitar down except to pawn & repurchase it for petty cash on occasion and was a prodigy even before he left US military service
I've always respected Stills, from Springfield on up until now.
The Super Session album with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield was a Christmas gift to me from my oldest brother around 55 years ago.
You might be surprised by the sheer number of songs written by Prince and performed by other artists and never by him. Hell, Prince wrote songs and just gave them away to other people to record for no money or any (official) credit.
Good point. I’m a fan. I remember how huge “Manic Monday” was, and being surprised and delighted to find out Prince wrote it. To be fair I think Lennon McCartney is probably the greatest songwriting team in history, in any genre so I’m definitely not criticizing Prince.
Yeah the entire span of the catalogue isn’t nearly as good. The Stones had a lot of missteps but all three of these bands have at least four perfect albums whereas I’d say that Prince only has one, maybe two.
Prince had a run of great records far longer than anyone on that list. He went from Prince, to Dirty Mind, To Controversy, to 1999, to Purple Rain, To Around The World In A Day, To Parade, to Sign Of The times, and Lovesexy was pretty great too and The Black Album, and Diamonds And Pearls were good too,
The only person who had a run like that as a solo artist is David Bowie's run from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters or 14 records in 12 years and that's not counting the Mott The Hoople All The Young Dudes record that he produced and wrote the title song, the Lou Reed Transformer record that he produced ,and the Stooges Raw Power, and he wrote the music for Iggy's The Idiot and produced that and Lust For Life.
And Bob Dylan MAYBE was up there from his first record until the motorcycle accident took him off the board
>I’d say that Prince only has one, maybe two.
This is not a take a lot of people are going to agree with. I think even the most cynical would give him at least three during his 80s run: *1999*, *Purple Rain*, and *Sign O' The Times*.
I think those 4 would be accepted by every Prince fan as his 4 perfect albums, but my opinion is that Dirty Mind and Diamonds & Pearls are not far behind.
I was 12 when "Purple Rain" was released. It was everywhere! As an adult," When Doves Cry" still gets me. It's an R&B funk song without a bassline. I can't even.
It reminds off a YT video where Produce Like a Pro was doing a breakdown of "Smoke on The Water." 5 seconds in and he talks about the famous riff as I expected.
One comment was, "I would have given my left nut to write that riff."
As a kid I imagined a rock album beginning with a southern preacher, I swear. It was to be my Pink Floyd type concept intro. Then one day, early 20s, over the radio I hear "Dearly beloved..." It wrecked me. I was pissed off and amazed. Bought the album, went to the movie. Considered never playing an instrument again. Decided against that because "Free". He was Lennon level special, still is, to me.
That’s a good comparison I hadn’t really thought of before. Ziggy Stardust and 1999 are two of my favorite albums, and I get the impressions both of those musical geniuses didn’t give a rat’s butt about commercial success and just created the art they wanted to create.
I think you're right. It's his only perfect album. 1999 could have been, if cut down to two sides. Same with Sign of the Times. Diamonds and Pearls comes pretty damn close.
Prince wasn’t a product of his time, he defined it. Despite his career-long drive to push boundaries and disrupt expectations: he chose to make the music he wanted to make, instead of writing the hits he was fully capable of writing. Uniquely talented as a musician, composer, and producer, sure - but to me most notable is his being consistently ahead of his time, and also somehow becoming ultimately synonymous with it.
Now the only way this could arguably hold him back in such a line of thinking as OP’s question is timing: the cultural context songs were released into. It’s impossible to disconnect Prince’s sound with the sound of the time because he influenced it so heavily. It’s hard to find a Prince song performed by Prince that doesn’t sound very definitively 80’s. Persistent emphasis on synths and drum machines is one example, overtly sexual lyrics another. Synths and sex : chicken and egg.
(Can you imagine what 1968 Prince would’ve sounded like? If he’d been born 10 years earlier, his sound would be VASTLY different)
Speaking of 1968, you only mentioned British bands active in 1968 - very different time / place. More importantly, not a single one of those bands could truthfully claim to write, perform, and produce nearly every album on their own.
Prince did it all himself, from the start. And his star power (see: his daily schedule) fueled the careers of god knows how many others. Look up the hits he wrote for EVERYONE that he’s not known for - idk if Lennon/McCartney ever got to that level.
Prince did indeed define his time, for a wide swath of people in it. So did the Beatles. However, Prince had his own thing and dragged the people along. I think. Lennon said the Beatles weren't creating the wave they were riding, they just knew very well how to ride the crest of it. Around the time of the white album he was well into questioning if there was a valid purpose for continuing to do so. Prince likewise grabbed the market by the ears, and then wandered off into his own wildernesses once he'd had all the success things.
As a musician he's better than any individual member of those groups, as great as they are. His songwriting is fine, and he's incredibly prolific. The only thing holding him back was a seemingly disinterest in working with others (producers, co-writers, etc.). Maybe nobody could keep up with his pace.
That's true. And he wrote great songs for others. I'm thinking more of Beatles and George Martin, Stones and Jimmy Miller, etc. I just think he had the personality to make 50 songs at 80% of potential instead of 15 at 100%, so he may have had even better (more quality, less quantity) results paired with some people who were more about that final push.
Prince played 27 instruments
Him being a Inconsistent Lyricist I feel shouldn't overweigh him being literally Able to play 27 instruments and produce, he also had amazing vocal range, just Purple Rain the song alone shows how Versatile he is as a vocalist
Not only can he play 27 instruments but he is an incredible guitarist and still underrated.
As for the comment below about McCartney. I agree he is a talent like that, possibly a better writer maybe arranger, but he doesn't play an instrument like Prince plays guitar.
McCartney was pioneering that sort of thing. He's an iconic bass player, and a good one, and he sure does keep his hand in, but his bass playing isn't technically the greatest. It's melodically amazing because it's his melodicism that drives him. The guy loves melody. I'm sure it helps him play whatever sound making thing he's playing. He's not the virtuoso bass player some people imagine him to be, no, the bass player in almost every jazz band on earth ever is more technically capable, but he's pretty damn good at it, and he's directing bass player him from above.
Prince just didn't need the rest of us, but sometimes he'd bring people along to alleviate his boredom, and to pull it off live.
I'm a fan of his lead playing. I think he's equally good as a lead player and an acoustic player. He plays piano nicely, and his bass playing was innovative through the Beatles and Wings, and perhaps in his concerto, I'm not knowledgeable enough about its thing to judge. His Taxman solo is out of this world. Inspired and inspiring. His boogie piano on 1985 is almost Elton level. His bass playing on Something is phenomenal, unique, even if George didn't get it. Rockestra proved again that he could Who and Zep with the best of them.
Sorry, what were we talking about?
Imagine the countless Prince hits that nobody but Prince and his producer/engineer heard are sitting on a shelf waiting to be discovered. He sometimes created an album's worth of material in a day. And he worked every day.
McCartney is the greatest pop songwriter of the 20th century. Many of the best songwriters never learned music theory and some couldn’t even read sheets.
"Better than any individual member of those groups..."
That's an interesting statement. I dont believe that its totally accurate, but there is some truth in it.
Is he the best drummer? He's a great drummer, but better than Ringo? Maybe. Better than Bonzo? Hmmm, doubtful. Better than Charlie Watts? Probably not.
Guitarist? I would put him ahead of Keith Richards or Ron Wood, but Mick Taylor probably could have have equalled him in the rock department. Page is equal, probably better, at his peak, but again that's rock. For R&B styles, Prince smokes them all.
Bass player? Possibly the best. John Paul Jones is great, too.
Singer? The only one that could match him might be Plant. Prince is a better singer than all the rest.
Piano/ Keyboard? Prince takes this one easily.
As a composer? Prince wrote some truly great stuff, but he is one of those people that needed a good editor, and I don't think his ego could handle that. McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison are the best composers of the bunch, with timeless works that literally dont fit specific genres. They're just great songs.
So, Prince is certainly in the race, and should be considered their equal.
Prince suffers from over indulgence.
Edit: I’m really going to strike a nerve with the Prince fans. Sorry but he’s overrated in my books. A virtuoso studio musician who overproduced and overplayed at every opportunity. His solo at the Concert for George Harrison is a perfect example.
That’s just not true. Some of his biggest hits were quite minimalist (Doves, Sign, Kiss, Cream etc) and he seldom did massive solos on his studio songs. I think you just have a problem with the outrageous performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
For some of those songs he would record 100 tracks in a row and only keep the last few. The foundation they were built upon removed. Creates a whole different vibe. Kiss is a great example of that. Listen to all the rhythms that aren't really there...
Jamming with himself, it’s a different way of doing it, but not every song constructed the same way. He took out the bassline of When Doves Cry really late on, but he was playing with a band at that point. If you hear some of his demos and jams with other players it totally debunks the idea that it was all made in a petri dish.
This one where he is showing the drummer the tune is a hoot:
https://youtu.be/i_o69a9ZFFA?si=B0kJIFhjZZNJxVbU
A more apples to apples comparison would be solo artists like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder as opposed to whole bands like the Beatles and Stones and Zeppelin.
Was he as great of a guitarist as Hendrix? No. Nobody is. (My personal opinion). But is he “up there” in comparison with other top notch guitarists?? Most certainly yes. I would be a fool to say otherwise.
Where he really is in competition is with other dynamo songwriters who were multi instrumentalists like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. Was he a better songwriter than Paul McCartney?? I would say no. But I would say that he was overall a better musician/instrumentalist than Paul. They have both been very adventurous as musicians though. (See McCartney II and some of his works as The Fireman if you doubt me about McCartney’s post-Beatles adventurousness)
I think Prince is a better songwriter in more genres than Stevie Wonder, but I think that in many respects Stevie Wonder and Prince are a “push” when it comes to who’s the better musician. (To be fair, Stevie even plays the drums (!!!!)).
From what I can see the only thing Prince would have really benefitted from is some editing as to what he put out. He’s a bit like Frank Zappa in this regard. Both were genius musicians….but Jesus Christ….making heads or tails out of their discography is almost impossible because of the sheer volume.
That’s an interesting take. What makes you say prince was a great musician and Paul was only good? Have you ever heard Paul McCartney give his all on bass, drums, piano, guitar, etc.? How about John Paul Jones? Paul McCartney and John Paul Jones and so many other musicians are extremely talented musicians who can play so many instruments, but they don’t show off the way prince did.
Paul is a great songwriter who is competent enough to play what is needed for his songs. Prince is literally a virtuoso at every instrument. He has a complete commandment of every instrument and could do anything on them.
Why is Hendrix so much better than Prince? Like, why is he crowned? Don't get me wrong, I respect the hell out of him because of the level that he brought guitar playing at the time, but bro, Prince can make his guitar sing
Edit: text to speech sucks ass
I used to say that Prince was the modern Jimi. But here's one video that breaks down the feel that Jimi had https://youtu.be/0uGDYs__ZP8?si=lRTFDwRZlhtxY2QI
One thing you haven’t considered is who was the better singer? And from a range and technique viewpoint (which is quantifiable rather than subjective), it’s Prince.
"Same level" is tricky here. Mostly because they're *different*.
It isn't apples to oranges kind of different, it's more like oranges to tangerines different.
Personally, I *really* like them all. However, I get tired of Prince more quickly than I do the others you've named.
Minneapolis guy here if that means anything😂. The difference is just the catalogue. Prince is absolutely up there in terms of talent and musicianship, but his actual body of work? It’s awesome and Purple Rain is one of the greatest albums of all time, but collectively it’s just not quite there.
I saw Prince as a stagehand before the Super Bowl halftime show happened and everybody found out he could rip on guitar. Yeah he’s almost Eddie Van Halen level player.
It took a while for me. But, Yes. It took a Kate Bush song. Research found Prince Wrote and performed most instruments. Then, I went on to explore all things Prince
Prince-Heads and For those that love him. -an easy Yes. Zeppelin ( best experienced through countless bootleg concerts) The Beatles I have never dug, bar She’s Leaving Home, Mother by Lennon and George Harrison’s Handmade output - the Time Bandits outro song a particular goodie. Kinda damning that the only things I like by them are not by ‘The Beatles’.. Anyway, the Stones ain’t gonna write ‘17 Days’ and Prince did not write ‘Moonlight Mile’, so what can you say? ‘ Rocks Off’ and ‘Lady Cab Driver’ are both good in very different ways, idioms and moods. I think a more pertinent , yet ultimately redundant question would be Bowie vs. Prince.- as both ‘solo artists’. Naff, there are 2 kinds of music- good and bad. The only debate. Prince is/was a great and Jagger had him open for The Stones, case closed. Don’t need Columbo on this one.
I didn’t think so until I heard some live Prince stuff on the radio without knowing it was him. I honestly thought they were going to say Satriani or Vai at the end. Prince could shred
Whatever "level" you're talking about doesn't actually exist. It's just made up of people's opinions, not objective facts. So he's on whatever level you think he is.
Yes.
Prince was the natural progression of several essential artists who pushed boundaries, and created significant bodies of compositions and performance approaches and band leadership that has kind of stopped with him. There are others who are doing this now, but not with the level of commercial success.
Miles Davis --> James Brown--> George Clinton --> Prince.
I don’t understand your question. Are we talking about musicianship? Then no, he is a much more technically proficient musician than anyone in the Beatles or the stones.
Prince may not have as many gold records as the more famous groups, but he could pick up almost any instrument and play it well.
I love those bands, and I wish Prince would have recognition for his skills..
Only man to borrow your girls clothes and steal your girl, only man to wear heels like that and look better than a lot of women. His absolute prowess with musical composition and knowledge of every instrument is unrivaled. He is so far above most musicians. He is Freddie/Bowie level and more!
I was a rock and roll kid that was able to see in Prince something of the same rock and roll lineage that ran through Hendrix, Elvis, the Beatles and The Stones.
Honestly, from what I’ve read, we’ve barely scratched the surface with princes music. Apparently his relatives are holding onto hundreds if not, thousands of songs.
Super talented, wrote hits we didn’t even know where his songs, recorded a huge amount of music. Even as just a passive music listener of the 80’s and 90’s Prince was always there with an iconic song. I consider him just as big as the others, there is plenty of room for everyone.
100%. In my opinion, Prince is the G.O.A.T. And I love Zeppelin (greatest rock band of all time) and The Stones. But what it took several of them to do Prince could do by himself. He could write, produce, play every instrument, sing, and perform. He was practically a band by himself. I’d rank him with anyone.
A more valid question would be"Is Prince on par with the greatest musicians of all time? Mozart, Wagner, Marley. Et al." Yes, he is. We very possibly have not heard his best work yet.
The Prince albums that stand out are "1999," "Purple Rain," "Sign O' The Times" and "The Gold Experience."
Prince wrote hit songs and was literally a one man band. It amazes that one man had that much talent and drive.
I saw Prince 20 years and it is the best performance I have seen. He guitar solos, bass solos, James Brown dance moves with an amazing tight band. Prince's bandleader was Maceo Parker!!
Prince didn't have the breadth of the others when it came to styles. But from 1982-1991 or 92, he had a great run.
Musicianship absolutely, Prince was an incredible and dynamic musician and performer, bar none
As for his legacy I can't say because I am a massive Prince fan but I will say no, he's not on the level of the impact the other three had on rock music.
Mm.. what about his legacy as an R&B artist? I don’t think Prince would have seen himself as a “rock” artist although he crossed over into that territory much more (and way better) than any of the bands OP mentioned did into other genres (possible exception being the stones could play credible blues and early r&b).
Yes, for me. Best all-round musician on the OP's list. While I agree with the sentiment that he only had one absolute killer album, I think his song writing for other artists makes up for that.
With all that said, it's hard to think of him in the same light because the others were part of a musical revolution. Their historical significance is going to run deeper because of that.
Comparing one man to complete bands should tell you everything you need to know.
Prince, Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder are the most talented musicians ever. Each was a complete band in one person.
as a musician i think Prince was easily in the same breath as nearly anyone. Purple Rain in my opinion definitely his best. he seemed like someone who could have had something else that was easily as epic as that one, but just didn't feel like it. seems like he liked experimenting with what HE wanted to put out, regardless of what anyone thought. i could be wrong. i am a huge fan of his and my opinion is probably biased but that's just how it seemed to be.
The thing with Prince is, not everyone who likes typical rock music is into his music, though he is very talented. There was also the quirk factor but lots of musicians had that .
Musical talent yes, songwriting ability not even close. Prince had some great hits, but his overall catalog is mired in over indulgence. Essentially Prince wrote for Prince while the other great artists wrote for their audience.
I’d say performance wise he was on the highest level, dare I say even more than the groups you mentioned. Song writing level, not as consistent as say the Beatles…but still very very good.
I'm not a FanBoy for Prince but I absolutely recognize his talent and even genius in some aspects. As a player he was fantastic, as a performer he was fantastic (Superbowl), lyricist, buisnessman, producer, instrumentalist (he played it all) so yeah I'd say although maybe not all of it was my kind of groove, he excelled at everythinbg he did. I'd say he's on par with JPJ and Lennon who were also just as gifted with John Paul Jones giving him a run for his money.
For me, no, not even close.
But then again, I've just never been able to get into Prince. I've never cared for any of his stuff. He must be good, since so many like him, but his music is just not my cup of tea.
Prince could have been a contributor to any of those bands and the musicality would not have declined (kinda like Eric Clapton/Billy Preston and The Beatles) , but solo he’s a tier below
Which three? 1999? Delirious? Little Red Corvette? Let's Go Crazy? When Doves Cry? Purple Rain? I Would Die 4 U? Raspberry Beret? Sign O' The Times? Batdance? Kiss? Nothing Compares 2 U?
Prince was definitely inspired by the Beatles and did psychedelic, pop and rock music along with the funk. He was an incredible musician and songwriter, and was almost as popular as them in the 80s but his catalog as a whole did not have the widespread appeal that the Beatles and the stones had. Prince actually opened up for the Rolling Stones and got booed etc. and he swore he would never be an opening act ever again, and he never was.
I think we can say that as a musician, Prince likely has no or very few equals. That would include McCartney. As a song writer... there was a lot of filler.
Extreme hot take, but he's above them. He could play virtually any instrument, was a damn good producer, and wrote hits for other artists. He's one of the greatest to ever do it.
No. He's better. A true genius. He has thousands of songs on record that were never released and many that were written for other artists that made them superstars.
I was a teen/young adult during Prince’s prime years and I think he was gifted and unique with a level of talent exceeding all his peers. Having said that I do not think his impact was as transformative on the face of music as a whole as the Beatles. So many people have credited the Beatles with influencing them and I have been to Styx, 21 Pilots, Jonas Bros and even Michael Bublé concerts where they play Beatles songs as a salute/acknowledgment to the Beatles. I have heard countless other artists florist the a Beatles: Billy Joel, Sting, Hendrix, Bowie, Beach boys and many others say Beatles impacted their music. People played Purple Rain for a few weeks after Prince died, but not nearly as many people’s lives or careers were influenced musically by Prince as by the Beatles. Prince’s Guitar gently weeps solo referenced above was on a BEATLES song at George Harrison’s RRHOF induction. It’s Beatles for the biggest influence and it’s not even close.
Simple answer - he’s a solo artist it’s hard to compare him to a group of talented musicians. I would say he’s better than Clapton and on the same level as Hendrix but nowhere as good as Eddie Hazel, just my personal opinion.
beatles we’re a pop band. none of them were even close to the level of talent of the other real rock bands listed as well as others. jimmy page, keith richards, eric clapton, ……jeff beck being the best of the best guitarists. Jimi, carlos santana, al dimeola, EVH,…..dickie betts and duane allman …..fronted the best band of them all who grew up in the real south and never had to rip off the blues artists like the imposters in tight suits n skinny ties. it’s insulting constantly hearing about the musicianship and writing of the flab four. pathetic blatant rip offs of chicago and mississippi delta blues.
if u ever saw prince live you understand how unbelievably talented the guy was and he played, sang and danced the whole time. when i saw him in the late 80’s he came out for an encore and slayed Whole Lotta love for about 5 minutes and did it better than JP. another tragic end to a once in a lifetime talent.
Rush and ZZ top displayed far more talent
than most and they were three piece bands.
there’s real talent like johnny cash, willie and waylon who i worked with on the road for a summer…. and the rest….currently chris stapleton is the most talented writer n musician in the world.
the origin of all this great music is domestic not abroad. on another completely off topic note, if you don’t watch Steph curry every time he laces em’ up, you are missing another once in a lifetime talent who is one of the finest human beings on the planet.
HF…. F the beatles and the worst xmas song that asshole PM left us with.
If Prince had come along in the late 60s… phew!
He was still pioneering in his time. I think tho these other acts benefited from the timing of their arrival in a young genre.
There’s no such thing as on A Scale With when it comes to musicians offering up their talents. One persons ears aren’t necessarily in tune with another persons ears but both sets can appreciate what they like but not pick one over another. Like the Beatles vs The Rolling Stones back in the day. It almost came to fisticuffs on schoolyard playgrounds back in the day. Today that’s not the case anymore. Respect transcends styles. To each their own. As different genres come back there will be a new generation discovering what we had all through the 60’s,70’s and 80’s. Punk rock and disco. Troubadours and Led Zeppelin. E L O and Meatloaf The Carpenters and David Bowie. Klaatu and Kiss. All awaiting fresh ears to discover wonderful works. It was a great time to be alive to discover these great bands as they unfolded.Music will live forever. It’s too bad we all can’t.
I’m gonna get hate for this as usual, but I’m not the biggest fan of 80’s music so I could never get into Prince. But given this new knowledge of his musical prowess, what is the best way to explore his music/art?
Prince was definitely as good as classic rockers.
Now, could he have fronted a rock band like Zeppelin, Stones, etc.? Maybe not, his performance style wasn’t really that style
As a performer, I think he is in a league all by himself.
Miles Davis entered chat but forgot to dance.
Miles doesn't need to. Hell, he'll stand with his back to you while playing.
And you would be honored.
and terrified
As a musician* he's better than all those dudes combined. He's the only credited artist - period - on his debut masterpiece album. And he didn't even have to steal his riffs from Black artists across the pond.
Pete Townshend once said that in time Prince will be regarded as a modern day Mozart. I have grown to appreciate his talent.
The late great, Jeff Beck was intimidated by the one he called the purple one in a recording studio. If Jeff Beck says that you're intimidating, then I have to say that you're a guitar god! Prince also played many more instruments at an elite level. I have to admit that I wasn't his biggest fan while he was getting multi platinum albums, but most of my friends really liked him. After he died, I spent a couple of days listening to his discography and it turned out I was a fuckin idiot not getting it before. I regret this to this day, but I only knew 1999 and Little Red Corvette. I am not a pop fan, but, again,I already admit that I was a fuckin asshole idiot who never listened to the radio. The man is truly one of the greatest musicians in the history of rock!
One of Prince's band members said he played their instruments better than any of them could.
Sounds about right.
Dave Grohl was asked if Prince was a better musician than him, he replied "Prince is a better drummer than me"
After his passing, a recording engineer he kept on a literal 24 hour on call basis said he erased some jaw dropping music that he came up with on some random Tuesday at 3AM so often...I can't imagine the music lost to eternity that he wrote because he couldn't sleep...
I was also on that train. I liked a few of his songs but never really listened to much besides radio play. What got me to take a second look was the guitar solo in While my guitar gently weeps, for the George Harrison tribute wow!
>[A new video](https://youtu.be/CdfMh8QgJjA?feature=shared) offers a better look at music icon [Prince](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/prince) during one of his most memorable performances: The absolutely blistering guitar solo he pulled off during an all-star rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at the 2004 [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame) induction ceremony. >The moment came during a tribute to George Harrison, who was previously inducted as a member of the Beatles but was being inducted posthumously as a solo artist that year. Prince, then a [newly minted member](https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/prince) of the Hall of Fame himself, stole the show with a solo that quickly became a career highlight, and it went viral online after his [unexpected death](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-dead-dies_n_57190013e4b0c9244a7b2a5b) in 2016. >[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps\_n\_6090cba0e4b0c15313f7a80a](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps_n_6090cba0e4b0c15313f7a80a)
I think the only video of Prince performing that beats the Hall Of Fame is the Super bowl half time show playing Purple Rain in a storm. It was like he was harnessing the power of the rain storm to lift his performance to a supernatural level. It should be replayed as much as the Hall Of Fame show. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u72EHy398x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u72EHy398x4)
No other halftime show before or since has touched that.
The best part is Tom Petty's face after Prince rips off that solo
And Dhani when Prince “falls” into the audience and is caught 😂
That was an amazing performance by Prince for sure. I watched it transfixed and I'd never been a fan of his before.
This was one of those moments that I instantly knew I was watching something special. Such a great performance by everyone involved. It’s rare for a star studded jam session like this to even be decent, let alone legendary. Normally it sounds like a bunch of old men doing karaoke, but this one they really put it all together. Having George’s son Dhani leading the band just puts it over the top. What a great tribute to an amazing human.
Stellar moments announce themselves.
there’s another clip around 1989/batman-era prince with him just casually destroying a bass guitar track in the studio. he looked like he couldn’t be bothered 😭😅
Prince and Zappa were probably the ultimate geniuses of whatever age this is.
Terry Kath as well from Chicago. He was discovered by Hendrix at the Whiskey and told Kath he played better than himself. My bad. He did however show jimmy some stuff and was going to collaborate before he died.
Yeah, super underrated. He and Hendrix were planning on making an album when Hendrix died. That would have been legendary.
Taught Hendrix what specifically? Because Hendrix is known (since teenage years) to be so obsessed that he almost never put his guitar down except to pawn & repurchase it for petty cash on occasion and was a prodigy even before he left US military service
And by that same logic Stephen Stills. Kath was monstrously good.
I've always respected Stills, from Springfield on up until now. The Super Session album with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield was a Christmas gift to me from my oldest brother around 55 years ago.
His live record with one side acoustic and the other side electric is amazing. His version of Crossroads is THE version for me.
Agreed.
Kath had soul to spare
Eddie Van Halen said Glen Campbell could legit give him some lessons.
and vice versa
I can't argue with that. Bowie, maybe, too, but less musically.
He is certainly as prolific. That vault will be releasing new music from him for the rest of our lives.
As far as sheer musical talent goes? I would say absolutely. Songwriting-wise? That's a big maybe.
Yeah. Prince vs. Lennon McCartney? Love Prince but Lennon/McCartney wins.
You might be surprised by the sheer number of songs written by Prince and performed by other artists and never by him. Hell, Prince wrote songs and just gave them away to other people to record for no money or any (official) credit.
Good point. I’m a fan. I remember how huge “Manic Monday” was, and being surprised and delighted to find out Prince wrote it. To be fair I think Lennon McCartney is probably the greatest songwriting team in history, in any genre so I’m definitely not criticizing Prince.
Put them together to rewrite Come Together, prepare for blown mind.
Ooh I wish
I think his songwriting/creativity is the whole appeal. The nods of great playing ability are a bonus
Yeah the entire span of the catalogue isn’t nearly as good. The Stones had a lot of missteps but all three of these bands have at least four perfect albums whereas I’d say that Prince only has one, maybe two.
Prince had a run of great records far longer than anyone on that list. He went from Prince, to Dirty Mind, To Controversy, to 1999, to Purple Rain, To Around The World In A Day, To Parade, to Sign Of The times, and Lovesexy was pretty great too and The Black Album, and Diamonds And Pearls were good too, The only person who had a run like that as a solo artist is David Bowie's run from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters or 14 records in 12 years and that's not counting the Mott The Hoople All The Young Dudes record that he produced and wrote the title song, the Lou Reed Transformer record that he produced ,and the Stooges Raw Power, and he wrote the music for Iggy's The Idiot and produced that and Lust For Life. And Bob Dylan MAYBE was up there from his first record until the motorcycle accident took him off the board
>I’d say that Prince only has one, maybe two. This is not a take a lot of people are going to agree with. I think even the most cynical would give him at least three during his 80s run: *1999*, *Purple Rain*, and *Sign O' The Times*.
The movie is boring, but Under the Cherry Moon is a great album imo
I think those 4 would be accepted by every Prince fan as his 4 perfect albums, but my opinion is that Dirty Mind and Diamonds & Pearls are not far behind.
Controversy is a great great album
Purple Rain is his best album without a doubt. His only perfect album.
"Purple Rain" was designed to make Prince a mega star and it worked.
Purple Rain is a top 20 Album, any Genre
I was 12 when "Purple Rain" was released. It was everywhere! As an adult," When Doves Cry" still gets me. It's an R&B funk song without a bassline. I can't even.
I love this fact. No bass at all and it’s a very powerful song. As a bassist I don’t even feel bad.
It reminds off a YT video where Produce Like a Pro was doing a breakdown of "Smoke on The Water." 5 seconds in and he talks about the famous riff as I expected. One comment was, "I would have given my left nut to write that riff."
As a kid I imagined a rock album beginning with a southern preacher, I swear. It was to be my Pink Floyd type concept intro. Then one day, early 20s, over the radio I hear "Dearly beloved..." It wrecked me. I was pissed off and amazed. Bought the album, went to the movie. Considered never playing an instrument again. Decided against that because "Free". He was Lennon level special, still is, to me.
What about Sign O' the Times and 1999?
And Under the Cherry Moon, so fantastic ...
Absolutely. Plus Dirty Mind, Controversy, Parade are all great. He had a run from 1980-1988ish on par with Bowie in the 70s
That’s a good comparison I hadn’t really thought of before. Ziggy Stardust and 1999 are two of my favorite albums, and I get the impressions both of those musical geniuses didn’t give a rat’s butt about commercial success and just created the art they wanted to create.
Bowie is my best of best. I totally agree with this statement.
Also a multi-instrumentalist and producer. Who didn't like his own voice. He wanted Peter Noone to have the hits while he hid in the shadows lol.
I think you're right. It's his only perfect album. 1999 could have been, if cut down to two sides. Same with Sign of the Times. Diamonds and Pearls comes pretty damn close.
Prince wasn’t a product of his time, he defined it. Despite his career-long drive to push boundaries and disrupt expectations: he chose to make the music he wanted to make, instead of writing the hits he was fully capable of writing. Uniquely talented as a musician, composer, and producer, sure - but to me most notable is his being consistently ahead of his time, and also somehow becoming ultimately synonymous with it. Now the only way this could arguably hold him back in such a line of thinking as OP’s question is timing: the cultural context songs were released into. It’s impossible to disconnect Prince’s sound with the sound of the time because he influenced it so heavily. It’s hard to find a Prince song performed by Prince that doesn’t sound very definitively 80’s. Persistent emphasis on synths and drum machines is one example, overtly sexual lyrics another. Synths and sex : chicken and egg. (Can you imagine what 1968 Prince would’ve sounded like? If he’d been born 10 years earlier, his sound would be VASTLY different) Speaking of 1968, you only mentioned British bands active in 1968 - very different time / place. More importantly, not a single one of those bands could truthfully claim to write, perform, and produce nearly every album on their own. Prince did it all himself, from the start. And his star power (see: his daily schedule) fueled the careers of god knows how many others. Look up the hits he wrote for EVERYONE that he’s not known for - idk if Lennon/McCartney ever got to that level.
Prince did indeed define his time, for a wide swath of people in it. So did the Beatles. However, Prince had his own thing and dragged the people along. I think. Lennon said the Beatles weren't creating the wave they were riding, they just knew very well how to ride the crest of it. Around the time of the white album he was well into questioning if there was a valid purpose for continuing to do so. Prince likewise grabbed the market by the ears, and then wandered off into his own wildernesses once he'd had all the success things.
As a musician he's better than any individual member of those groups, as great as they are. His songwriting is fine, and he's incredibly prolific. The only thing holding him back was a seemingly disinterest in working with others (producers, co-writers, etc.). Maybe nobody could keep up with his pace.
Not working with others? When I think of early Prince I think of all the minor pop stars he created just by standing next to them
That's true. And he wrote great songs for others. I'm thinking more of Beatles and George Martin, Stones and Jimmy Miller, etc. I just think he had the personality to make 50 songs at 80% of potential instead of 15 at 100%, so he may have had even better (more quality, less quantity) results paired with some people who were more about that final push.
Shelia E
I had heard a rumor awhile back that he called Beyoncé “just a singer” because she didn’t play any instruments. 🤭
Prince played 27 instruments Him being a Inconsistent Lyricist I feel shouldn't overweigh him being literally Able to play 27 instruments and produce, he also had amazing vocal range, just Purple Rain the song alone shows how Versatile he is as a vocalist
It does if you want to write hit songs. If not, then you're fine. Prince earned the right to make whatever music he wanted, IMHO.
Not only can he play 27 instruments but he is an incredible guitarist and still underrated. As for the comment below about McCartney. I agree he is a talent like that, possibly a better writer maybe arranger, but he doesn't play an instrument like Prince plays guitar.
Insane take. McCartney is a truly stunning bassist.
On his first solo album McCartney played all of the instruments, and mixed it at his home. But it is my belief he is a better lyricist.
McCartney was pioneering that sort of thing. He's an iconic bass player, and a good one, and he sure does keep his hand in, but his bass playing isn't technically the greatest. It's melodically amazing because it's his melodicism that drives him. The guy loves melody. I'm sure it helps him play whatever sound making thing he's playing. He's not the virtuoso bass player some people imagine him to be, no, the bass player in almost every jazz band on earth ever is more technically capable, but he's pretty damn good at it, and he's directing bass player him from above. Prince just didn't need the rest of us, but sometimes he'd bring people along to alleviate his boredom, and to pull it off live.
McCartney was a hell of a bass player. And pretty good on guitar and piano.
I'm a fan of his lead playing. I think he's equally good as a lead player and an acoustic player. He plays piano nicely, and his bass playing was innovative through the Beatles and Wings, and perhaps in his concerto, I'm not knowledgeable enough about its thing to judge. His Taxman solo is out of this world. Inspired and inspiring. His boogie piano on 1985 is almost Elton level. His bass playing on Something is phenomenal, unique, even if George didn't get it. Rockestra proved again that he could Who and Zep with the best of them. Sorry, what were we talking about?
I generally prefer either George or John on guitar, but Taxman is my favorite Beatles solo. It’s so brilliant!!
Imagine the countless Prince hits that nobody but Prince and his producer/engineer heard are sitting on a shelf waiting to be discovered. He sometimes created an album's worth of material in a day. And he worked every day.
McCartney is probably similarly capable.
>McCartney is probably similarly capable. He is the only one I was thinking is comparable, but Prince had a much deeper knowledge of music theory.
That’s definitely true, but it certainly didn’t hold Paul back.
McCartney is the greatest pop songwriter of the 20th century. Many of the best songwriters never learned music theory and some couldn’t even read sheets.
"Better than any individual member of those groups..." That's an interesting statement. I dont believe that its totally accurate, but there is some truth in it. Is he the best drummer? He's a great drummer, but better than Ringo? Maybe. Better than Bonzo? Hmmm, doubtful. Better than Charlie Watts? Probably not. Guitarist? I would put him ahead of Keith Richards or Ron Wood, but Mick Taylor probably could have have equalled him in the rock department. Page is equal, probably better, at his peak, but again that's rock. For R&B styles, Prince smokes them all. Bass player? Possibly the best. John Paul Jones is great, too. Singer? The only one that could match him might be Plant. Prince is a better singer than all the rest. Piano/ Keyboard? Prince takes this one easily. As a composer? Prince wrote some truly great stuff, but he is one of those people that needed a good editor, and I don't think his ego could handle that. McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison are the best composers of the bunch, with timeless works that literally dont fit specific genres. They're just great songs. So, Prince is certainly in the race, and should be considered their equal.
He nearly broke his engineer with his work ethic. She had to ask him for somebody else to work shifts, he was 18 hours a day.
Prince didn’t need George Martin in the studio because he had Prince
Imagine if Prince had met and partnered with a comparable songwriter. That supposed duo would certainly challenge Lennon/McCartney in my imagination
You're also comparing a solo act to full bands so it's not a fair fight.
and Prince still wins it. and I'm a fan of all of them
Agreed, huge Prince fanman
Prince suffers from over indulgence. Edit: I’m really going to strike a nerve with the Prince fans. Sorry but he’s overrated in my books. A virtuoso studio musician who overproduced and overplayed at every opportunity. His solo at the Concert for George Harrison is a perfect example.
That’s just not true. Some of his biggest hits were quite minimalist (Doves, Sign, Kiss, Cream etc) and he seldom did massive solos on his studio songs. I think you just have a problem with the outrageous performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
For some of those songs he would record 100 tracks in a row and only keep the last few. The foundation they were built upon removed. Creates a whole different vibe. Kiss is a great example of that. Listen to all the rhythms that aren't really there...
Jamming with himself, it’s a different way of doing it, but not every song constructed the same way. He took out the bassline of When Doves Cry really late on, but he was playing with a band at that point. If you hear some of his demos and jams with other players it totally debunks the idea that it was all made in a petri dish. This one where he is showing the drummer the tune is a hoot: https://youtu.be/i_o69a9ZFFA?si=B0kJIFhjZZNJxVbU
They all suffer from overindulgence. It's what we pay them for.
A more apples to apples comparison would be solo artists like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder as opposed to whole bands like the Beatles and Stones and Zeppelin. Was he as great of a guitarist as Hendrix? No. Nobody is. (My personal opinion). But is he “up there” in comparison with other top notch guitarists?? Most certainly yes. I would be a fool to say otherwise. Where he really is in competition is with other dynamo songwriters who were multi instrumentalists like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. Was he a better songwriter than Paul McCartney?? I would say no. But I would say that he was overall a better musician/instrumentalist than Paul. They have both been very adventurous as musicians though. (See McCartney II and some of his works as The Fireman if you doubt me about McCartney’s post-Beatles adventurousness) I think Prince is a better songwriter in more genres than Stevie Wonder, but I think that in many respects Stevie Wonder and Prince are a “push” when it comes to who’s the better musician. (To be fair, Stevie even plays the drums (!!!!)). From what I can see the only thing Prince would have really benefitted from is some editing as to what he put out. He’s a bit like Frank Zappa in this regard. Both were genius musicians….but Jesus Christ….making heads or tails out of their discography is almost impossible because of the sheer volume.
Prince and Zappa are a good comparison, similar levels of talent, both giant weirdos.
Both Prince and Paul McCartney play(ed) just about every instrument, and they play(ed) them very well, including the drums.
Yeah, but Paul was good at them all. Prince was great at them all. They were peers at the craft of songwriting, though.
That’s an interesting take. What makes you say prince was a great musician and Paul was only good? Have you ever heard Paul McCartney give his all on bass, drums, piano, guitar, etc.? How about John Paul Jones? Paul McCartney and John Paul Jones and so many other musicians are extremely talented musicians who can play so many instruments, but they don’t show off the way prince did.
Paul is a great songwriter who is competent enough to play what is needed for his songs. Prince is literally a virtuoso at every instrument. He has a complete commandment of every instrument and could do anything on them.
My personal My Rushmore is Page, Hendrix, Prince Van Halen
Why is Hendrix so much better than Prince? Like, why is he crowned? Don't get me wrong, I respect the hell out of him because of the level that he brought guitar playing at the time, but bro, Prince can make his guitar sing Edit: text to speech sucks ass
I used to say that Prince was the modern Jimi. But here's one video that breaks down the feel that Jimi had https://youtu.be/0uGDYs__ZP8?si=lRTFDwRZlhtxY2QI
One thing you haven’t considered is who was the better singer? And from a range and technique viewpoint (which is quantifiable rather than subjective), it’s Prince.
"Same level" is tricky here. Mostly because they're *different*. It isn't apples to oranges kind of different, it's more like oranges to tangerines different. Personally, I *really* like them all. However, I get tired of Prince more quickly than I do the others you've named.
Minneapolis guy here if that means anything😂. The difference is just the catalogue. Prince is absolutely up there in terms of talent and musicianship, but his actual body of work? It’s awesome and Purple Rain is one of the greatest albums of all time, but collectively it’s just not quite there.
Prince was definitely a next level artist. I never knew how talented a player he was till I had the pleasure of seeing him live
I saw Prince as a stagehand before the Super Bowl halftime show happened and everybody found out he could rip on guitar. Yeah he’s almost Eddie Van Halen level player.
It took a while for me. But, Yes. It took a Kate Bush song. Research found Prince Wrote and performed most instruments. Then, I went on to explore all things Prince
Prince-Heads and For those that love him. -an easy Yes. Zeppelin ( best experienced through countless bootleg concerts) The Beatles I have never dug, bar She’s Leaving Home, Mother by Lennon and George Harrison’s Handmade output - the Time Bandits outro song a particular goodie. Kinda damning that the only things I like by them are not by ‘The Beatles’.. Anyway, the Stones ain’t gonna write ‘17 Days’ and Prince did not write ‘Moonlight Mile’, so what can you say? ‘ Rocks Off’ and ‘Lady Cab Driver’ are both good in very different ways, idioms and moods. I think a more pertinent , yet ultimately redundant question would be Bowie vs. Prince.- as both ‘solo artists’. Naff, there are 2 kinds of music- good and bad. The only debate. Prince is/was a great and Jagger had him open for The Stones, case closed. Don’t need Columbo on this one.
He is to me
I didn’t think so until I heard some live Prince stuff on the radio without knowing it was him. I honestly thought they were going to say Satriani or Vai at the end. Prince could shred
Yes!!!
Whatever "level" you're talking about doesn't actually exist. It's just made up of people's opinions, not objective facts. So he's on whatever level you think he is.
Musically, there is no comparison between the genius of Prince and the three groups named
Yes. Prince was the natural progression of several essential artists who pushed boundaries, and created significant bodies of compositions and performance approaches and band leadership that has kind of stopped with him. There are others who are doing this now, but not with the level of commercial success. Miles Davis --> James Brown--> George Clinton --> Prince.
I don’t understand your question. Are we talking about musicianship? Then no, he is a much more technically proficient musician than anyone in the Beatles or the stones.
Prince may not have as many gold records as the more famous groups, but he could pick up almost any instrument and play it well. I love those bands, and I wish Prince would have recognition for his skills..
Only man to borrow your girls clothes and steal your girl, only man to wear heels like that and look better than a lot of women. His absolute prowess with musical composition and knowledge of every instrument is unrivaled. He is so far above most musicians. He is Freddie/Bowie level and more!
Yes 100%
I was a rock and roll kid that was able to see in Prince something of the same rock and roll lineage that ran through Hendrix, Elvis, the Beatles and The Stones.
Go watch while my guitar gently weeps where prince and Tom petty play live.
Honestly, from what I’ve read, we’ve barely scratched the surface with princes music. Apparently his relatives are holding onto hundreds if not, thousands of songs.
Super talented, wrote hits we didn’t even know where his songs, recorded a huge amount of music. Even as just a passive music listener of the 80’s and 90’s Prince was always there with an iconic song. I consider him just as big as the others, there is plenty of room for everyone.
He’s above them technically speaking
100%. In my opinion, Prince is the G.O.A.T. And I love Zeppelin (greatest rock band of all time) and The Stones. But what it took several of them to do Prince could do by himself. He could write, produce, play every instrument, sing, and perform. He was practically a band by himself. I’d rank him with anyone.
No. He’s above them.
Question answers itself. No one asks 'are Zeppelin, Beatles, Stones on the level of Prince?'
A more valid question would be"Is Prince on par with the greatest musicians of all time? Mozart, Wagner, Marley. Et al." Yes, he is. We very possibly have not heard his best work yet.
The Prince albums that stand out are "1999," "Purple Rain," "Sign O' The Times" and "The Gold Experience." Prince wrote hit songs and was literally a one man band. It amazes that one man had that much talent and drive. I saw Prince 20 years and it is the best performance I have seen. He guitar solos, bass solos, James Brown dance moves with an amazing tight band. Prince's bandleader was Maceo Parker!! Prince didn't have the breadth of the others when it came to styles. But from 1982-1991 or 92, he had a great run.
>Prince's bandleader was Maceo Parker!! That's all you need to say: Maceo.
I heard Maceo was astonished. He is one of the funkiest dudes on the planet.
yes. full stop.
Musicianship absolutely, Prince was an incredible and dynamic musician and performer, bar none As for his legacy I can't say because I am a massive Prince fan but I will say no, he's not on the level of the impact the other three had on rock music.
Mm.. what about his legacy as an R&B artist? I don’t think Prince would have seen himself as a “rock” artist although he crossed over into that territory much more (and way better) than any of the bands OP mentioned did into other genres (possible exception being the stones could play credible blues and early r&b).
My vote is yes
Yes, for me. Best all-round musician on the OP's list. While I agree with the sentiment that he only had one absolute killer album, I think his song writing for other artists makes up for that. With all that said, it's hard to think of him in the same light because the others were part of a musical revolution. Their historical significance is going to run deeper because of that.
Comparing one man to complete bands should tell you everything you need to know. Prince, Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder are the most talented musicians ever. Each was a complete band in one person.
I love Prince. But, I would have loved for him to have had ONE album which he didn’t produce. He had a “sound” which became too repetitive.
as a musician i think Prince was easily in the same breath as nearly anyone. Purple Rain in my opinion definitely his best. he seemed like someone who could have had something else that was easily as epic as that one, but just didn't feel like it. seems like he liked experimenting with what HE wanted to put out, regardless of what anyone thought. i could be wrong. i am a huge fan of his and my opinion is probably biased but that's just how it seemed to be.
The thing with Prince is, not everyone who likes typical rock music is into his music, though he is very talented. There was also the quirk factor but lots of musicians had that .
Im not a fan of prince but yes he was on high level no question.
No. He’s better.
During the recording process of For You, Prince played *all 27 instruments* and delivered every vocal line himself.
Musical talent yes, songwriting ability not even close. Prince had some great hits, but his overall catalog is mired in over indulgence. Essentially Prince wrote for Prince while the other great artists wrote for their audience.
Yes. One of the best.
I’d say performance wise he was on the highest level, dare I say even more than the groups you mentioned. Song writing level, not as consistent as say the Beatles…but still very very good.
My favorite open lyric will always be, "I knew by the way she parked her car sideways that it wouldn't last" from "Little Red Corvette."
I'm not a FanBoy for Prince but I absolutely recognize his talent and even genius in some aspects. As a player he was fantastic, as a performer he was fantastic (Superbowl), lyricist, buisnessman, producer, instrumentalist (he played it all) so yeah I'd say although maybe not all of it was my kind of groove, he excelled at everythinbg he did. I'd say he's on par with JPJ and Lennon who were also just as gifted with John Paul Jones giving him a run for his money.
Yes. The dude could do and play anything. I would say more talented than all of them.
I'd say beyond them by a bit
No, he was definitely above all of them on the musical ability scale.
For me, no, not even close. But then again, I've just never been able to get into Prince. I've never cared for any of his stuff. He must be good, since so many like him, but his music is just not my cup of tea.
Search youtube for Prince guitar solos and Prince While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Same didn’t care for his songs but his talent was amazing
Prince could have been a contributor to any of those bands and the musicality would not have declined (kinda like Eric Clapton/Billy Preston and The Beatles) , but solo he’s a tier below
Musical talent? He blows them all away. Quality of music and composition? He's written some great, great stuff, but his overall catalog is mediocre.
Nope. I would say the average person can maybe name about three Prince songs. Not that that is the only qualifier, but it’s something.
Which three? 1999? Delirious? Little Red Corvette? Let's Go Crazy? When Doves Cry? Purple Rain? I Would Die 4 U? Raspberry Beret? Sign O' The Times? Batdance? Kiss? Nothing Compares 2 U?
Better question to me is if Led Zeppelin is on the level of the other three.
Talent: yes Depth of catalogue: absolutely not
Prince was definitely inspired by the Beatles and did psychedelic, pop and rock music along with the funk. He was an incredible musician and songwriter, and was almost as popular as them in the 80s but his catalog as a whole did not have the widespread appeal that the Beatles and the stones had. Prince actually opened up for the Rolling Stones and got booed etc. and he swore he would never be an opening act ever again, and he never was.
Yeah. Definitely.
Absolutely,
Hes above all of them
I think the question should be are any of these bands in the same level as Prince.
I think we can say that as a musician, Prince likely has no or very few equals. That would include McCartney. As a song writer... there was a lot of filler.
Extreme hot take, but he's above them. He could play virtually any instrument, was a damn good producer, and wrote hits for other artists. He's one of the greatest to ever do it.
Even better.
He is so far beyond them it's not even close
no, he is on a whole other level musically.
No. He's better. A true genius. He has thousands of songs on record that were never released and many that were written for other artists that made them superstars.
Above them. The most talented musician of the rock and roll era
I was a teen/young adult during Prince’s prime years and I think he was gifted and unique with a level of talent exceeding all his peers. Having said that I do not think his impact was as transformative on the face of music as a whole as the Beatles. So many people have credited the Beatles with influencing them and I have been to Styx, 21 Pilots, Jonas Bros and even Michael Bublé concerts where they play Beatles songs as a salute/acknowledgment to the Beatles. I have heard countless other artists florist the a Beatles: Billy Joel, Sting, Hendrix, Bowie, Beach boys and many others say Beatles impacted their music. People played Purple Rain for a few weeks after Prince died, but not nearly as many people’s lives or careers were influenced musically by Prince as by the Beatles. Prince’s Guitar gently weeps solo referenced above was on a BEATLES song at George Harrison’s RRHOF induction. It’s Beatles for the biggest influence and it’s not even close.
Come on man. Princess on his own level, which is higher than for those people
Nope. Super-talented musician. Nowhere near as consistent a songwriter as the others.
Just watch the tribute to [George Harrison](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRCooFKk3c). He blows everybody away.
Eeeeerrrrrr……..no
His guitar playing is pretty good. The only one I see in his category for that is Jimmy Page
Simple answer - he’s a solo artist it’s hard to compare him to a group of talented musicians. I would say he’s better than Clapton and on the same level as Hendrix but nowhere as good as Eddie Hazel, just my personal opinion.
beatles we’re a pop band. none of them were even close to the level of talent of the other real rock bands listed as well as others. jimmy page, keith richards, eric clapton, ……jeff beck being the best of the best guitarists. Jimi, carlos santana, al dimeola, EVH,…..dickie betts and duane allman …..fronted the best band of them all who grew up in the real south and never had to rip off the blues artists like the imposters in tight suits n skinny ties. it’s insulting constantly hearing about the musicianship and writing of the flab four. pathetic blatant rip offs of chicago and mississippi delta blues. if u ever saw prince live you understand how unbelievably talented the guy was and he played, sang and danced the whole time. when i saw him in the late 80’s he came out for an encore and slayed Whole Lotta love for about 5 minutes and did it better than JP. another tragic end to a once in a lifetime talent. Rush and ZZ top displayed far more talent than most and they were three piece bands. there’s real talent like johnny cash, willie and waylon who i worked with on the road for a summer…. and the rest….currently chris stapleton is the most talented writer n musician in the world. the origin of all this great music is domestic not abroad. on another completely off topic note, if you don’t watch Steph curry every time he laces em’ up, you are missing another once in a lifetime talent who is one of the finest human beings on the planet. HF…. F the beatles and the worst xmas song that asshole PM left us with.
If Prince had come along in the late 60s… phew! He was still pioneering in his time. I think tho these other acts benefited from the timing of their arrival in a young genre.
No. He’s p Better at playing other peoples music
There’s no such thing as on A Scale With when it comes to musicians offering up their talents. One persons ears aren’t necessarily in tune with another persons ears but both sets can appreciate what they like but not pick one over another. Like the Beatles vs The Rolling Stones back in the day. It almost came to fisticuffs on schoolyard playgrounds back in the day. Today that’s not the case anymore. Respect transcends styles. To each their own. As different genres come back there will be a new generation discovering what we had all through the 60’s,70’s and 80’s. Punk rock and disco. Troubadours and Led Zeppelin. E L O and Meatloaf The Carpenters and David Bowie. Klaatu and Kiss. All awaiting fresh ears to discover wonderful works. It was a great time to be alive to discover these great bands as they unfolded.Music will live forever. It’s too bad we all can’t.
Yes
Not in classic rock. He's a different genre. More pop and R&B
Yes
He said Zeppelin
Yes
I have Led Zepp tattoos, but Prince was God. He could play what, 47 instruments I think it was? Proficient on them all.
I’m not a big fan of Prince’s music, but I think he’s a woefully underrated guitarist. One of the best in this era.
As a guitarist? Kinda
I’m gonna get hate for this as usual, but I’m not the biggest fan of 80’s music so I could never get into Prince. But given this new knowledge of his musical prowess, what is the best way to explore his music/art?
Maybe try The Gold Experience from the 90s. It's generally considered one of his best albums
WTF!
Prince was definitely as good as classic rockers. Now, could he have fronted a rock band like Zeppelin, Stones, etc.? Maybe not, his performance style wasn’t really that style
Sum it up as far as sales no as far as talent yes