One of the greatest double albums of the vinyl era; Sign O the Times shows Prince at his peak. Here; Michaelangelo Matos tells the story of how it emerged from an extraordinary period of creativity to become one of the landmark recordings of the 1980s. He also illustrates beautifully how - if a record is great enough and lucky enough to hit you at the right time - it can change your way of looking at the world.EXCERPTThe most immediately striking thing about Sign O the Times is the jazzy sensibility running through it. Princes father was a jazz musician; his mother a vocalist; hed been a fan of chops-heavy jazz-fusion as well as rock and RB growing up. But when Prince began recording for Warner Bros.; he abjured the brass sections that dominated groups like Earth; Wind Fire and Parliament-Funkadelic; opting instead for stacked synthesizer patterns and a spare; cold feel that markedly contrasted with lush; overarranged disco and the wild; thick underbrush of the eras giant funk ensembles; Rickey Vincent; author of Funk: The Music; the People; and the Rhythm of the One; dubbed it "naked funk." Getting away from traditional RB instrumentation is an underappreciated aspect of Princes crossover success; Prince is also said to have actively disliked the sound of horns early in his career.
#3253514 in eBooks 2011-12-04 2011-12-04File Name: B006N526ZI
Review
