In the mid 80s I was into Heavy Metal and Classic Rock. Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden were a far cry from Prince. Even the sound of his name made me cringe. I shrugged off his guitar skills as well as his writing, singing, and producing skills because he was just not cool in our circles. It wasn't until about 8 years ago when he made an appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. They were inducting George Harrison and there was an all star tribute performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. When the guitar solo came up Prince walked out on stage and played a solo that made everyone's jaw drop. All I could think was I don't know where he was for the past few years or what he was doing, but he must have had his guitar with him. If you haven't heard this performance, Google it right now, it's seriously amazing. It's as close to a Jimi or Stevie that I have ever heard anyone get. Ever since that moment I have shown respect for Prince. I have seen several live performance at other events and he never failed to blow me away. He was certainly a huge talent and I regret that my dumb-ass couldn't get over myself to experience him more while he was alive.
Anyway, I have never seen the movie that this is supposedly a soundtrack for. Still not sure if there is a storyline running through these songs, but I can say that after listening to this a few times through that I do get it. I do think the 80s production is a little thin and weak. I'm also not a fan of the drum machine. It just sounds cheesy and fake to me. The writing is top notch and the performances are stellar.
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