Prince, Musicology

I know it's not very current but I was looking at my pile of tunes and this one just jumped out at me.  I don't dance... that might be the reason I started playing guitar, I could still go to a party with live music and not have to fear that someone would expect me to dance.  There aren't a lot of people better at getting folks dancing than Prince and one of my favourite albums of his is Musicology.... It's also a good gateway album to get people into contemporary Prince.

Keeping it simple Prince opens the album with the title track. A great dance number that is sort of a monolog of a party host who takes great pride in his musical offerings. 

Much of the album carries social commentary and a bit of comedy. "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance" chronicles the tale of a funky guy and his funk-deficient sugar mama. 

Million Days is sort of an uninspired cheesy love ballad.  It features some great guitar and some Frank Zappa-esque moments but that isn't enough to save the song.

I love "Life Of The Party"... When I first discovered this album I was in a bit of a Rock and Roll Superstar mindset... this song was a bit of a personal anthem.  Party all night... I would blast this tune in my 1990 Toyota 4Runner like I was some Los Angeles hit maker producer... That was a long time ago but I bet this tune still inspires a lot of great parties

There are the obligatory, porn soundtrack, slap bass tracks and a couple that will simply leave you scratching your head but it wouldn't be a Prince album without them.

One of the songs that got into the mainstream radio a bit is "Cinnamon Girl". Far from a Neil Young cover,  it was something of a protest song for the war on terror.  Giving a little personification to the citizens suffering from the conflict.  It tastes a little bit like Little Red Corvette but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Basically, Prince can't be dismissed. Guitarist have to give him credit for his chops. Weirdos admire his wierdness and a lot of late night parties owe their success to his groove.  I bet Prince plays at the majority of the worlds late night, "leave your clothes by the door" parties and that's reason enough to shake a guy's hand.

I'd love to link to his Superbowl half-time performance from a few years back but between the NFL and Prince himself it's tough to find.. In fact I'm likely to get sued just for acknowledging it's existance.

Find the Album here

Thanks for reading and happy listening