Hi, Sup Forums, just visiting.
Why didn't Prince play the guitar more? Both solos and in general. I mean, the man was ( :'( I can't believe I have to say 'was') a guitar god. I always put him in my top 5.
I was basically born listening to Prince. I was raised by my grandparents, and my Uncle was 16 when they adopted me, and he was literally like the world's biggest Prince fan. We used to go to the flea market that was at the Fairgrounds once a month and get bootlegs of his. I have always loved Prince.
But since his death, his music has become much more available, so I spent weeks going back and listening to all of his stuff, as I only own like 6 of his albums, and he has so many. I just can't help but notice the lack of guitar work. Just a random example,"At the end of "Free" he plays a quick lick just a few seconds long, but it's so awesome and makes you want more. Or more famously, the beginning of "When Doves Cry".
Do you think that this was ultimately a good thing? I know he saved a lot of his best playing for live performances, but I really wish we just had at least one really guitar heavy album to look back on now, something to show people, to let them know what he was really all about.
Growing up, kids at school and even adults always called him gay. Or even worse, they compared him to Michael Jackson, like he was just some pop star who sang and danced. People are still surprised when you tell them he was a composer who could play every instrument. and they are even more surprised when you tell them how good he was on guitar.
Do you think he did this on purpose to keep us always wanting more, to make us value every time he he played a solo? The solo in Purple Rain always makes me cry. He may not have been the most technically proficient, but neither was Hendrix, and Prince played with just so much soul; he could make it playful and fun, or sad, or whatever he was feeling. A true great.
Where do you guys rank him? I assume that you all are familiar with him.