1000+ images about Prince on Pinterest | The purple, Prince birthday and 3rd eye When Prince said "Women not girls rule my world", he meant it. Meet 19 of the women that Prince dated or musically collaborated with. See more 1000+ images about Prince on Pinterest | Image search, Roger nelson and The cherries PRINCE ❥ Prince Rogers Nelson [June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016] #Prince #Purple #Rain #Kiss #Love #Artist #Music #RIP #Singer #Folk #Rock #Soul #guitar See more Prince The Artist funk Rock Best indy site > Prince Is Prince his real name? What is his birthdate? Prince, c'est pas son vrai nom ? Sa date de naissance ? Prince is his real name. 'Prince Rogers Nelson' was born June 7, 1958 in Mineapolis. The father, John Nelson, is pianist at night and had 3 children. The mother, a social assistant, gave Prince a sister, Tyka. The couple divorced in 1965. The movie Purple Rain is inspired by this story.

Prince Rogers Nelson est né un 7 juin 1958 à Minéapolis, état du Minesota, USA. Son père, John Nelson, est pianiste le soir, et déjà père de trois enfants. Sa mère Matie Shaw, métis afro-américano-italienne est assistante sociale et lui donne une soeur deux ans plus tard, Tyka. Le couple se sépare en 1965. Une histoire qui a inspiré le film Purple Rain. What's with his Love-symbol name change? C'est quoi cette histoire de Love-symbol ? On June 7, 1993 (his 35th birthday), Prince announced that he would change his name to an unpronounceable symbol. The glyph incorporates the male and female signs along with the alchemy symbol for soapstone, and is an improved version of the 1984 symbol used for Purple Rain: 0+>. This symbol became O(+>. However, on May 16, 2000 Prince announced that he would use his former name back again, because his final contract with Time Warner (his publishing contract with Warner-Chappel) had expired.

He still use the symbol as a logo. Anyway, artists always used to change their name in order to get more freedom to create. Le 7 juin 1993, à 35 ans, Prince annonce aux médias qu'il vas changer son nom en un symbol imprononçable. Le glyphe représente les genres mâle / femelle liés et hermaphrodite. C'est en fait une évolution du symbol utilisé pour Purple Rain: 0+>. Le symbole O(+> a fleuri sur le web, les médias ont moins apprécié la démarche un peux réactionnaire… Au terme de son faramineux mais "esclavagiste" contrat avec la Warner, Prince récupère son nom Prince le 16 mai 2000. Depuis, le symbol est un "surnom" en forme de logo. Quaoiqu'il en soit, les artistes ont souvent changé de nom pour assouvir leur folle créativité. How tall is he? Il est si nain que ça, Prince ? It is believed that he is 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) tall.

Whether that is in his heels or not, who knows! Officellement, le petit Prince mesure 1m57. Officieusement, on ignore si c'est avec ou sans les talons de 15 cm ! Is Prince married? C'est vrai qu'il s'est marié ? On February 14, 1996, Prince Rogers Nelson married Mayte Garcia, a young dancer whom he would write and produce songs and take on tours. It was a small ceremony in Minneapolis, attended by family and friends. O(+> subsequently announced in December 1998 that he intended to annul his present marriage and become reunited with Mayte on February 14, 1999 in a manner more compatible with their current beliefs. But in June 2000, the marriage has been legally annulled. They had a baby but sadly, it died of a genetic desease. In early 2002, Prince married to Manuela Testolini from Toronta, Canada.

He bought a house there and actually, Manuela 'seems' to be pregnant… Le 14 février 1996, O(+> épouse Mayte Garia, qu'il a rencontré alors qu'elle n'avait que 16 ans. La cérémonie est discrète. Pour d'obcsures raisons religieuses, le mariage est annullé et les deux tourtereaux se remarient le 14 février 1999 (pour la St Valentin), pour finalement se séparer en 2000. Ils ont eu un bébé qui, hélas, est mort très tôt d'une maladie génétique. Début 2002, Prince a épousé Manuela Testolini de Toronto, Canada. Il a d'ailleurs acheté une maison là bas et Manuella semble actuellement être enceinte… Is he gay or bisexual? Prince, c'est un gay, hein ? Bi, au moins ? Prince has a very androgineous style, and he never said if he was 'straight or gay' - controversy!

A he sang in 1984, 'I'm not a man, I'm not a woman, I'm what U will never understand'. Anyway, the vast majority of his work is about heterosexual relationships (except where he plays the girl - e.g: Camile, his female alter-ego), and there have been no sightings of him with another man. His women, are beauties, but he also can love common girls. His lyrics indicate that he approves every sexual fantasy or orientation. Great, as he also can be a perfect macho who sometimes like to follow an ideal heterosexuality sheme. Avec toutes ses caprices et son style si particulier, Prince n'échappe pas à cette idée reçue. Quelle que soit la vraie réponse à cette question, Prince n'a jusqu'à présent que chanté - et mîmé - l'amour hétérosexuel, et il fait réèllemnt un effet sensationnel auprès des femmes.

Si il s'est toujours entouré de femmes, jolies ou non, personne ne lui connait d'aventures gay, contrairement à certaines personnalités… En 1984, il chantait déjà 'je ne suis pas un homme, je ne suis pas une femme, je suis ce que vous ne comprendrez jamais. D'ailleurs, personne ne comprend toujours pas… Toujours est-il qu'il semble assouvir cette homesexualité dans un dédoublement féminin - son alter égo Camille, ses vocaux féminins trafiqués. Si Prince ne cache pas son penchant pour les fantaisies sexuelles et prône - heureusement - la liberté d'aimer ce que l'on veut, son machisme bon enfant est évident et sa fascination pour les femmes sans mesure. What is this so-called Paisley Park? C'est quoi Paisley Park ? Paisley Park is Prince's upfront studios in Chanhassen, Mineapolis. This is the big place for the annual 'Celebrations', a fan gatherings with concerts. Great artists use record at the Park.

Paisley Park Studios 7801 Audubon Road Chanhassen, MN 55317-8201 Paisley Park est le pôle musical de Prince, situé à Chanhassen, Mineapolis. Scène, studios derniers cris, ciné… C'est là que se tient l'annuelle "Célébration", qui rassemble des milliers de fans, avec des concerts, des visites du Park etc. Pas mal d'artistes de renom enregistrent au Park. Paisley Park Studios Why is track 4 on Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic silent? C'est quoi le morceau 4 de RUTJF ? The track is a moment of silence in honor of the late jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. Prince worked with Miles on a few occasions before his death (on Amandla, especialy). Le morceau 4 est un silence en honneur de Miles Davis, le jazzman trompetiste de légende. Prince et Miles ont collaboré de manière assez confidentielle. What is this Black Album #1 pirate? Prince détient le record du pirate n°1 au monde ! Sans blague ?

In late 1987, Prince planned to release the Black Album. The actual album had an all-black cover with only a catalog number, and no artist information or title. The Black Album contains 8 tracks, most of which are "hard-funk" songs. The album was canceled before its scheduled release, after hundreds of thousands of copies were pressed. A few escaped destruction, and rank among the most coveted Prince collectables. Inaddition, the Black Album became the most bootlegged record of all time. At the time, a rumor circulated that Warner Bros. canceled the album due to concerns about explicit lyrics. Prince, on the other hand, has said that he canceled the project because it was too dark, to negative. What really happened? Per Nilsen, respected author of several books on Prince, claims that Prince decided to scrap the album after an experiment with the drug Ecstasy, that resulted in a bad trip. Former Prince associates have confirmed the ecstasy story. That would explain the 'don't take pills' on later tracks like the Dr'eam Factory' track. The dark Black Album was replaced with the shining Lovesexy, an album that contained 'When 2 R in Love' from the Black Album.

In 1994, Warner Bros. officially released the Black Album as a limited edition. A funk as powerfull as the one from the 1999 double Lp. En 1987, Prince projette de lancer un album très hard-funk qui deviendra légendaire : le "Black Album". Une pochette noir, sans mention aucune sauf un numéro de catalogue. Au dernier moment, Prince fait annuler la sortie, effrayé, dit-on officiellemnt, par le contenu "trop sombre, trop sexe" de l'album. Aussitôt, l'album devient un collector et surtout l'album le plus piraté au monde ! LA véritable raison de l'annulation de l'album est en fait raportée par Per Nielsen et l'entourage princier : Prince aurait expérimenté une ecsatsy et aurais eu un "mauvais trip". Ce qui expliquerait les mises en gardes "Ne prenez pas de pillules" de la chanson "Dream Factory".

Le ténèbreux et vicieux Black Album a été remplacé par le lumineux et spirituel Lovesexy. La Warner a par la suite sorti l'album en version limitée. Un album de funk aussi impressionnant que l'electro de l'album double 1999. What is a bootleg? C'est quoi un "pirate / bootleg" ? Prince is exessively a creative artist. He claims to record everytime. His Vault in Paisley Park is famous for hiding probably thousands of unreleased material. His fans are naturaly tented to get the best of Prince, which is made of many unreleased songs. So, what is a bootleg? A "bootleg" is an unofficial copy of a musical recording, or an original but illegal recording. Sometimes referred to as pirate. They could be liverecordings, studio outtakes, rehearsals or just jams. Most bootlegs consist of concert material. There are hundreds of Prince bootlegs in circulation. The source for these might be CD's that are put out by various bootleg labels, tapes made by tapers at concerts, or tapes that one way or another "escaped" from the recording studio.

Bootlegging is where people go into concerts, record the concert, then go and press the music onto a CD and, in turn, sell this CD for monetary profit. But privacy is not illegal. Prince est un artiste très prolifique, il prétend enregistrer tout le temps. On peut le croire au vu de son catalogue impressionant symbolisé par son "Vault", coffre fort à Paisley Park qui cacherais des milliers de titres inédits. Difficil pour un fan de ne pas être tenté par ses fameux bootlegs. Mais, c'est quoi un bootleg ? En musique, ce sont des enregistrements pirates de concerts, de morceaux jamais sortis dans le commerce officiel ou autorisés à l'être, de sessions "jams"… L'usage privé (à but non commercial) d'un titre acquit à ce titre n'est pas illégal.

1000+ images about All things Prince on Pinterest | Lyrics, Alphabet city and Songs Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas All things Prince Prince: Fun Music Information Facts, Trivia, Lyrics Band Name Origins : Prince's father himself in an interview with MTV during the premire of Under The Cherry Moon in 1986 (in Wyoming for a contest winner) stated that he had a jazz band originally called Prince. He subsequently gave his son the name, who in turn adopted it for his band. FACT! Submitted by: djm122270 Prince Rogers Nelson was the name of the jazz trio his father played in, Nelson being his fathers given name.

Submitted by: Jim Gardner 1000+ images about PRINCE on Pinterest | Sexy, The cherries and Paisley park PRINCE came in his Little Red Corvette, with his Raspberry Beret, in the Purple Rain to whisk me away See more Retrospective: Prince - DrunkenWerewolf DrunkenWerewolf Competitions Retrospective: Prince His Royal Badness, His Purple Majesty, "The Glyph", TAFKAP or a puff of hot air to MTV viewers - just some of the monikers hung on Prince Rogers Nelson over the decades. His career has been unique; if seen otherwise then we do Prince a disservice, due to his unbelievable talent and consequent influence on music in general. Not just on musical form or sound, but how we consume and access it. If we could sum up in one word "modern music", that word would be Prince. Born on June 7th 1958 in Minneapolis, son of a jazz singer mother and a song-writing pianist father, music wasn't written but carved into Prince's genes. His parents' separation when he was 8 years old would become the foundation of one his most beloved songs, "When Doves Cry".

A musician in the purest sense, Prince has become highly regarded throughout the music world for his ability to fuse diverse musical styles and his ability to play a vast array of instruments to professional standard, all self-taught. An interesting nugget of trivia, the first piece of music Prince learnt to play on piano was the theme to Batman, something he would subsequently revisit with Tim Burton in 1989. Prince's initial foray into music was with Grand Central, playing guitar and keyboard in this band formed with the son of his adoptive parents. Formed during high school they would later metamorphose into Champagne, performing original music influenced by artists like James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone and Parliament / Funkadelic. After Champagne, Prince was instrumental in the formation of 94 East, a band conceived by Pepe Willie, and we begin to hear what would become known as "The Minneapolis Sound." Willie would later release the album 94 East featuring Prince in 1995 which features early recordings of their material, the highlight being "Just Another Sucker", a funky, soulful R&B number and early showcase of Prince's phenomenal ability on guitar. .

Prince's break would come in 1976 when his demo tape garnered the attention of Warner Bros., offering Prince a three album deal with creative control and ownership of publishing rights. The first fruit of this deal was For You. It's worth remembering that Prince produced, arranged and composed this entire album, playing all 27 instruments during its recording. The highlight is undoubtedly "Soft and Wet", an impossibly funky groove with his soon-to-be signature high pitched vocals, raunchy lyrics and inventive use of electronic sounds. The next two albums, Dirty Mind and Controversy, introduced Prince's ability to fuse new wave sounds with funk, pop and rock, creating a cohesive whole. Important albums, they feature two themes that remained constants throughout his career: religion and sex. The bold title track of Controversy was in response to the media's obsession with "Am I black or white, am I straight or gay?" exhibiting audacity, later in the song, in juxtaposing this with a full recital of the Lord's prayer. Prince was unafraid of expressing himself in new, surprising ways. After signing a new deal with Warners, 1999 followed.

Released in 1982, it was written and recorded by Prince after rehearsals with current band, The Revolution, during tours. Legend has it the title track was written, recorded and produced in six hours. Prince played to his band mates a cassette, taken to the studio the following morning, raising questions as to whether he ever slept. 1999 would not only raise eyebrows at the quantity and sheer quality of his output, it would shatter preconceptions about music that black and white Americans could enjoy. Combined with the launch of MTV a year earlier, the airtime that "Little Red Corvette" would receive alongside Michael Jackson's "Beat It", it represented a breakthrough in black artists reaching a global audience. Prince had arrived. His next album, however, would catapult him to unbridled superstar. In 1984, Prince would unleash the soundtrack album to his semi-autobiographical movie. This album was Purple Rain. Purple Rain’s impact is well documented, whether because it resulted in Prince being the first artist since The Beatles to hold No.1 spots at the US singles, album and box-office charts simultaneously; or his Oscar win, or that a No.1 song ("When Doves Cry") featured no bass.

Purple Rain had an enormous effect on popular culture, the way music was sold (Parental Advisory stickers exist for a reason: "Darling Nikki"), and most importantly, on Prince himself. He was now a bona-fide rock star, icon to millions. . Following the experimental Around The World In A Day (featuring the masterful Raspberry Beret), and second soundtrack album Parade (for the box office flop Under The Cherry Moon) Prince would disband The Revolution and hit the studio alone. While fans wondered if success had dulled his touch, on 31st March 1987 Prince released his magnum opus, Sign O' The Times. Much as The White Album represented The Beatles at their most daring, so Sign O' The Times represented Prince at the summit of creativity. It was a masterpiece. From the title track, featuring the most brilliant, relevant, yet crushing opening lyric ever written, to the gender bending If I Was Your Girlfriend - the debut of his famous alter-ego Camille. Tuning his voice up to sound more feminine; tuning down for the backing vocals. Despite the heavily Auto-Tuned state of the music industry as it exists today, there is nothing quite like it.

Everything that represented Prince as a man featured in this double-disc delight. From resonant, political lyrics of "Sign O' The Times", to the outright funkathons of "Housequake" and "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night", the wonderful offbeat story of "Starfish And Coffee", the sleaze of "Hot Thing", to the religious anthemic rock of "The Cross". Sign O' The Times is pure unadulterated Prince. Next was meant to be The Black Album. However, Prince had a "spiritual awakening" and days before its release, withdrew it, declaring it evil. It would become one of the most bootlegged albums since Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes. Instead, Prince produced Lovesexy, generating one of Prince's finest singles, "Alphabet St.". Whilst not receiving the plaudits of his previous album, Lovesexy has its fans and a cult following. The album tour was notorious. Extravagant, extortionate and generating huge losses, many see it as the catalyst for his financial problems, believing this drove him to provide the soundtrack to Tim Burton's Batman.

Commercial and safe by Prince's standards, it spawned Batdance, six minutes of sampler antics which reached No.1 in the US. Prince's next success was 1991's Diamonds and Pearls. Following the critical mauling of Graffiti Bridge (a third attempt at a movie) the previous year, Prince returned with a new band, The New Power Generation, giving fans more of the same. It produced two Top 5 hits, the title track and "Cream" (which Prince apparently wrote in five minutes whilst shaving) giving him another US No.1. Other notable tracks are "Gett Off", "Money Don't Matter 2Nite" and "Strollin'". Whilst hugely successful, it was apparent that Prince was slowly disconnecting from public tastes, notably hip-hop (something he had dismissed) and the rise of groups such as Public Enemy. Perhaps 1992's The Love Symbol Album was heavier on the rap for this reason, most obvious with "My Name Is Prince". Whether he was entirely successful or not is down to taste, but it is an amusing song.

The Love Symbol Album is a great album, representing Prince’s return to the live band setup with songs such as the old-skool "Sexy MF", the marvellous "Love 2 The 9's" and the R&B and funk flavoured "The Sacrifice Of Victor". It also provided another Top 10 hit with 7. Then came the moment which would ironically define Prince to many - the announcement that "Prince was dead", resurrected as the Love Symbol ('Glyph'), combining the male and female symbols. His on-going dispute with Warner Bros. concerning ownership of his music, and their attitude towards his rapid output, had peaked. This battle is the stuff of legend, resulting in many artists subsequently ensuring they own the music they write and record. In that respect, Prince was a pioneer and an act everyone has followed since. . The album eventually released at the height of this fallout was The Gold Experience, arguably his best work since Sign O' The Times. "Dolphin" and "We March" standout as duds. The rest is pure dynamite and had Prince's reputation not been so tarnished by his fight with Warners, it might have been huge. Instead it failed to sell and is now out of print.

Find a copy and it is worth owning. Incidentally, it finally gave Prince his first UK No.1 with "The Most Beautiful Girl InThe World". After The Gold Experience the long legal battle with Warners saw Prince effectively drop off the radar. His last studio album with Warners was Chaos and Disorder. Prince knocked it out over a weekend so as to hasten his departure from the label. It isn't great and whilst not sounding rushed, he is capable of so much more. Free from Warners in 1999 (in time to make a few more dollars off the back of the Millennium by re-releasing "1999") and reverting to his name from the Love Symbol in 2000, Prince's output subsequently varied in style and quality. His major comeback was 2004's Musicology. The old-skool title track is the standout along with "Dear Mr Man", another great example of Prince having something to say about the world with power and punchy lyrics. It would represent his biggest selling album since Diamonds and Pearls. Eighteen months later came 3121 which, having some upbeat, booty-shaking numbers, fails to score.

As time passes it is harder to dismiss the suspicion that Prince writes only for himself. The quality of his work has declined and is sad to behold. Flashes of brilliance appear intermittently but 2007's Planet Earth (given away free in copies of The Daily Mail) seemed to confirm the decline. However, with a career spanning nearly five decades it would be unrealistic to expect Prince to hit the heights with every release, especially when acknowledging his ability to produce, on average, more than one album a year. His ground breaking legacy is not in doubt. Consider music sales these days – primarily online. Incredibly Prince was the first artist to sell an entire album over the internet. Then there are the songs he wrote for others. Chaka Khan's "I feel For You", The Bangles' "Manic Monday" and most famously Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", a worldwide smash and breakup song for millions of adolescents the world over. O'Connor's stripped down version is far superior, free as it is from intrusive vocal gymnastics, and perhaps the most famous song that people don't instantly attribute to Prince. There are those Prince has influenced.

Primal Scream, Public Enemy, Outkast and Destiny's Child are just some of the countless many whose music has been inspired by the pint-sized maestro. Prince has written some of the most iconic pop and rock anthems of all time and is possibly the most gifted musician to walk the planet. For a fan, researching his story has been enlightening, leaving me astonished at the man's natural talent, providing brilliant and rare opportunities to absorb his music again. The transitions throughout his career are audible and vital, not just in defining his music, but Prince himself. The Warners lawsuit showed his dogged determination to be an artist, retaining complete ownership of his creativity. It provoked the quote, "If you don't own your masters, your masters own you." Since the death of his parents and becoming a Jehovah's Witness in 2001, Prince has vowed never to play any of his dirtier songs live again. So no "Gett Off", "Darling Nikki", "Head" or "Jack U Off". Sad to hear but representing a coming to terms with his loss and a resultant need for God as opposed to sex and hedonism.

This is the most noticeable aspect of his music and perhaps the only insight we will ever gain into understanding this pint-sized enigma. The Beachwood Reporter - Prince in Chicago Headline: Prince proves his star hasn't lost any of its luster Review Excerpt: "'Hey, check me over, do you like what you see?' "By the time Prince closed a private show late Friday at a Loop hotel with 'Baby I'm a Star,' the answer to that question was already sealed. "With just a hint of a beard, a new 'typhoon'-style hairdo and an array of form-fitting costumes that accentuated his feral sexuality, Prince sure looked like a star as he wowed a gathering of industry high-rollers and fellow entertainers-from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Oprah Winfrey-at the centerpiece event of the Warner-Elektra-Atlantic empire's annual conference . . . The cuts ranged from stripped-down funk to florid, neo-psychedelic ballads-in other words, a typically varied Prince menu. "What's different is how these tunes, new and old alike, were performed.

Eschewing electronic gimmickry, the diminutive, high-heeled one from Minneapolis kept things raw, visceral and organic: real drums, gutsy voices and booty-bumping bass to accompany the splashes and jabs of keyboards that have become his signature. "While digging closer than he has in years to his roots-Sly Stone, Stax Records, George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix-he also incorporated contemporary touches such as house dance rhythms and hip-hop vocals into his new music." * Venue: Chicago Theatre Headline: His Royal Badness Is Only Half-Bad At Best Review Excerpt: "The goal of Prince 's current tour is to prove that His Royal Badness is back with a vengeance. "'My name is Prince , and I am funky,' the Minneapolis singer announced as he stepped onstage in Chicago for the first time in five years. "Unfortunately, his set only lived up to that boast part of the time.

"The first of Prince 's sold-out three-night stand at the Chicago Theatre opened with an elaborate funk-rock opera that drew almost entirely from his last album, which is untitled save for its cryptic symbol." * Venue: Chicago Theatre Headline: Prince still reigns: Glittery concert has both duds and pearls Review Excerpt: "In the first of three sold-out shows, Prince turned his first official Chicago concert in five years into a chest-thumping blowout, equal parts Vegas pomp and assaultive funk . . . So the opening numbers, 'My Name is Prince' and 'Sexy MF,' came off as Prince parodies, further diluted by the marginal rapping abilities of Tony Mosely. "Just as troubling was Prince's decision to divide the show in half, with the first 75 minutes devoted almost entirely to his most recent untitled album. "As one first-time Prince watcher remarked, the set was reminiscent of 'Cirque du Soleil, except with better music.'" * Headline: Prince Brings Back the Badness With a Hot Late-Night Show Review Excerpt: "Now that was more like it. "The Prince who played a surprise afterhours set at Metro early Tuesday morning more than lived up to the royal reputation.

"Using rented gear and the house P.A. and lights, the singer took the stage at 2 a.m. after the second night of his three-night stand at the Chicago Theatre. For two hours, he threw away the Vegas schlock and led the New Power Generation through two sets of searing hot funk. "'I like doing the regular gigs, but this makes it all worthwhile,' he said. 'This is what we do.' "The intimate crowd of 1,000 people was energized despite the hour. The 750 fans who weren't on the guest list stood in line for hours to buy $20 tickets, but it's unlikely that anyone went away disappointed. "The first set opened with two sassy, James Brown-style grooves, 'Sacrifice' and 'Come.' It peaked with a galvanizing version of 'Gett Off' that started with the lazy rhythm of the Diamonds and Pearls album, then built to double and triple time. "Throughout, Prince indulged in wah-wahed guitar solos that conjured the ghost of Jimi Hendrix, while drummer Michael Bland proved that he's this generation's Clyde 'Funky Drummer' Stubblefield.

"After a short break, the band returned with former Hendrix sideman Buddy Miles on vocals for a killer cover of Miles' 'Love Changes' and a slow blues vamp with another scorching Prince solo. The five-piece horn section was much more effective in the confines of Metro, and it pushed 'Sexy M.F.' and the new rocker 'She's a Peach' to heights they never reached on Sunday." * Venue: Aragon Headline: The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Review Excerpt: "Even the most dedicated fans have had doubts about the recent recordings by the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Since his 'emancipation' from Warner Bros., he's been cleaning out his vaults and releasing loads of quickly sketched, half-baked ideas. "The Artist, as he's now known, seemed adrift in a sea of confusion and egotism, producing occasional flashes of the old genius and heaping mounds of self-indulgent crap. "The Minneapolis musician has surprised us before, but it has never been as welcome as on Friday night.

In an electrifying, tightly honed and extremely well-focused 2 1/2-hour set, he razed the Aragon, performing better than I or any of the fans around me had ever seen, and restoring my faith not only in his abilities but in live music. "That sounds like hyperbole, I know. But the Artist's sold-out show begs comparison to one the night before by the Rolling Stones at the United Center. Those lazy, greedy old superstars coasted through the most expensive rock concert ever to hit Chicago, and fans accepted this mediocrity without complaint. "In stark contrast, the Artist took joy in every note, challenging himself and his audience, taking chances, daring to fail but instead succeeding wildly. People could complain about the paucity of his signature tunes (though he did offer a reworked but grandiose 'Purple Rain'). Those people would be sadly misguided, because funk, soul and R&B just don't get any better." * Venue: Aragon Headline: Artist A Prince of Funky Kingdom Review Excerpt: "The concept behind this nearly three-hour performance was old-school funk with its festive, free-for-all atmosphere.

Anybody who has attended a Parliament-Funkadelic show knows the scheme: Use the classic melodies of funk's heyday as launching pads for extended improvisation, fervid call-and-response between band and audience, and dance-till-you-drop celebrating by all involved. "Joy radiated from Prince and his sidekicks. Dressed neck to ankle in a diaphanous, fringed white outfit that hugged every contour of his lithe, athletic frame, the singer cavorted between the mike stand and a set of keyboards with an eye-popping array of spins, pushups and leaps. He orchestrated his fierce band, the New Power Generation, on the fly with a flick of the hip, a chop of the wrist or a karate kick. "With only a couple of pauses, the music flowed non-stop, as familiar melodies from R&B's last golden era became a rushing river of funk.

One after another, Prince called to the stage figures from the past that made tangible his debt to this music." Date: November 18, 2000 Venue: The Riviera Headline: 'Hit N' Run' Prince show defrosts fans at the Riv Review Excerpt: "They started lining up in the 35-degree chill at 5 p.m. Thursday for a show scheduled to start at 9 p.m. They had already paid $75 for tickets that sold out instantly, but seating was general admission, and they wanted the best possible vantage point. "It isn't every day that Prince plays a venue as intimate as the Riviera Theatre. "His Royal Badness rewarded faithful fans with a 2 1/2-hour set of greatest hits, including many he hasn't played in 15 years . . . Chicago has always been a special place for His Purple Majesty, and the crowd brought out the best in him.

For those last 45 minutes, he was loose, at ease, having fun and dragging members of the audience onstage to dance." * Author: DeRo Venue: Allstate Arena Headline: Prince commands fans' respect - Even without hard-core content, he gives them what they want, in style Review Excerpt: "The faithful may grouse about the PG-13 nature of the Allstate Arena show. (Recently converted as a Jehovah's Witness, Prince is skipping the hard-core sexual innuendo on this tour and cutting out all the cuss words.) And it was disconcerting to note that Friday's set list was almost exactly the same as it has been for every night of the tour, compared with the smaller-venue gigs of the last few years, where he has always mixed things up. "But all of this is quibbling: Prince was giving people what they want - the hits - after generally avoiding that for quite some time . . . The show opened strong with the title track of Musicology, which found Prince throwing down the gauntlet by declaring his intention to 'keep the party movin' . . .

kick the old-school joint.' That he did, by following in rapid succession with the classics 'Let's Go Crazy,' 'I Would Die 4 U,' 'When Doves Cry' and 'Baby I'm A Star.' "Other highlights included a dynamic version of 'Shhh!' and a hard-grooving 'DMSR' that, despite the cleaned-up lyrics, still didn't entirely purge the 'sex' part of the 'dance, music, sex, romance' groove. "Throughout the night, Prince played more lead guitar than he has in years, clearly enjoying the vibe of being a rock star playing an arena in the round. "But the best part of the long and generous set was arguably the acoustic interlude in the middle of the evening, when he rose on a revolving stool in the center of the stage alone with a purple acoustic guitar to perform some of his best-known songs. "Prince smiled, joked with the crowd, asked for the house lights to be turned all the way up and let the fans finish the choruses of tunes such as 'Little Red Corvette,' 'Cream' and 'Raspberry Beret.' And these songs never sounded better. "It was just one man and one guitar, but he held the crowd in his grasp.

In fact, the only other performer I've ever seen do that so effectively was Sir Paul McCartney." * Venue: Allstate Arena Headline: Prince makes a place for himself - again Review Excerpt: "In the midst of a ferocious opening montage of horn-spackled riffs, knee-buckling funk bass and whirling dance moves in glittering high heels, Prince came to a dead halt. "The packed Allstate Arena crowd collectively stopped rocking in the aisles Friday and burst into applause. Prince surveyed the scene just long enough for things to quiet down, and with an impish grin declared, 'Ya'll been waitin' on this, haven't ya?' . . . "He interpolated bits of music by [Alicia] Keys, OutKast and Beyoncé into his 2 1/2-hour set, but he also forged ties to Archie Bell and the Drells' 'Tighten Up,' Rufus' 'Sweet Thing' and Sam and Dave's 'Soul Man' . . .

"The latter one-third of the concert found Prince at his freest and funkiest, uncorking a majestic Santana-esque guitar solo to kick off 'The Question of You,' and bringing a bevy of female fans onstage to dance during a housequaking finale of 'U Got the Look,' 'Life 'O' the Party,' 'Soul Man,' 'Kiss' and 'Take Me With U.' "By the time he wound up with 'Purple Rain,' Prince had served up most of the hits. But this wasn't a nostalgia show in the traditional sense. Slicing in tracks from his new album, rearranging his most familiar tunes, and using everything in the set as a springboard for improvisation that highlighted the muscular chops of his band, Prince still insisted on doing it his way. The lesson: Never count him out." -

Question: Who has been called His Purple Majesty, His Royal Badness, TAFKAP, The Artist, Symbol, Love Symbol and The Purple One?
Answer: Prince