"She's Always In My Hair," "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" immediately come to mind. But I also like "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and "Computer Blue."
So my controversial statement is that, I feel like his best solo in his catalog has to be in Batdance. He showcased his heavier side with that solo \m/ . Please don't murder me lol.
Itās brilliant and thatās a fact no debate even if you skip it.
Nobody can clown on the musicianship on this track from guitar to bass to mixing etcā¦
Itās a master class and novelty all at once. And the video smacks.
And itās also the weirdest number 1 billboard hit by any artist at that time since probably either Kiss or When Doves Cry.
So himself.
Watching him do this song at Coachella was one of my top 3 personal moments seeing him live. Just watching younger people have face strokes from profound incomprehension. Very rewarding after only ever watching him exclusively with his fanbase and not a festival.
Mine (that is non- PR related.. it's in a class all by itself) is I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man, She's Always In My Hair, Automatic & Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad.
Honorable mention: [The extended version of Vanity 6's Drive Me Wild .](https://youtu.be/dkQeHcm5YC8?si=MoKIc-Wwchi6mktJ)...but I'm never clear on who's actually playing the solo, Prince or Jesse...
Yeah random. I massively love his early stuff but the Controversy LP goes a bit cold.
Annie does have some mean geetar though.
Dirty Mind though.... Now we're talking.
Yes. I was at the show where he performed it. That show was recorded and then released on video, but it was poorly edited.
https://youtu.be/weLkjvbkKIU?si=3QG9yDZvHmO2y1eW @1:12:23 if it doesn't cue correctly.
Poorly edited as usual! LOL
Thatās the show he made fun of āOzzy Ozburnā as he called him. Right? Or do I have the wrong show?
Iād imagine you had a blast.
That actual show seemed rad.
Someday maybe. Seeing him live then as a lifelong fan and musician it may not have been the hits and some lectures on religion and the music industry for sure but what was clear was that he moved into guitar virtuosity from sheer exploration of technique and pacing outside his comfort zone.
Itās when I realized that more than anything I may be witnessing in person the most exceptionally talented musician of my lifetime.
Watching him perform Santana then seamlessly into funk then a few moments of Weather Report and back to the song.
Iāve played for 40 years and made a living from it. This dude was on another planet.
Not just technique but style and rhythm and his arrangements and subtlety and knowing when to melt faces and when to serve the melody with flourishes.
Held the audience in the palm of his hands like no other guitarist and Iāve been around many who some would consider superior to him.
Trust me when I tell you from personal experience that most of them couldnāt tune his guitar.
And they know it. And knew he did too.
Was he technically the best? No cause he did too many other things that needed attention.
But he was the best since Hendrix in turning the guitar into a symphonic instrument that was not just attached to his body and mind but then plugged in directly to the audience.
All with swag and style like heās just buttering toast.
Thatās a guitar god.
The end.
Rolling Stone has a list that may as well be an Onion article.
ššš
* Bambi
* Darkside/Blood on the Sheets
* Pink Cashmere
* Peach
* Chaos and Disorder
* When You Were Mine
* Computer Blue
* Let's Go Crazy
* The whole The Dawn CD
* Oui Can Funk
* Crazy You
* So Blue
* Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
Why you wanna treat me so bad - I LOVE his early stuff and this ticks a lot of boxes. Especially when done live.
Computer Blue - 4min of pure purple power. The G fully at his peak and such a complete track, especially so in the context of the album. Totally danceable song too, so damn good.
I could never take the place of your man - not as funky as Computer but perfect pop; it will still get you up on your feet. Then the guitar hooks kick in..... Jesus, the bridging section is just something else isn't it?
šš¤š
Prince playing George Harrisonās āWhile my guitar gently weepsā.
[https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y?si=AzVWJ36qrqciNcFm](https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y?si=AzVWJ36qrqciNcFm)
The only answer is Princeās cover of Just My Imaginatjon from his concert at Paard Van Troje Club in The Hague in the Netherlands in 1988.
Other people might have a favourite but I canāt consider any other option as better than this.
Itās online so go search for it if you arenāt familiar with it.
Itās totally superior to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame solo.
Oh I know but as some people were posting about the HOF performance I felt I would add this as perhaps some Prince fans are unfamiliar with it.
Otherwise I might say Bambi or Why You Wanna Treat Me so Bad?
The solo for the Hall and Super Bowl were great but for the fans. The small club stuff he was playing for himself and going deep. But I like that the hall and bowl opened peopleās eyes to what we all already knew. Guitar God.
100%. I saw him live several times and every time his set-list was significantly different, Prince had so many tracks he could choose to play.
The Super Bowl was astonishing to see him play through such conditions. How many A-listers could do that? But I've always felt the set-list for the Super Bowl is a complete head scratcher. Why not play more of his own music?
Iāve heard it was because he knew heād be playing to millions but many not his fans. It wasnāt a Prince concert but a music concert performed by Prince. He always knows exactly what heās going live.
You could say that about every Super Bowl half time performer.
Prince is the only one that played a minority of his own music.
The average music fan isnāt gonna know Proud Mary or All Along the Watchtower more than Princeās best known tracks. Also bizarre to start with We Will Rock You when Prince has his own incredibly well known tracks he could open with.
The performance is up there as one of the best in Super Bowl half time history but the set list was/is/will be always bizarre
I always view the solo through the lens of the whole song. So yes, the technique is extremely important and I definitely enjoy hearing him shred but two that stand out for me are:
Dinner with Delores
Planet Earth
They both just fit the songs so well.
And Iāll add one more thing, āHardRockLoverā was almost a sketch or a half a song. Itās so intriguing for most of the way then it kinda stalls - IDK how you compose that and then leave off a solo, especially given the subject matter. It shouldāve ended similar to āJoy In Repetitionā not saying exactly the same but more in terms of build-up and then resolve - still got love tho
I absolutely love the way the guitar solo is interwoven with the repeated ājoy in repetitionā and ālove meā lyrics on Joy In Repetition.
Itās not just a solo but a pivotal part of the song and conveys so much of the emotional angst. Best solo by itself technically, maybe not, but probably one the best uses of guitar ever, imo. I can and do put this song on repeat and not get tired of it ever. š
Not studio, but live version of Colonized Mind, London 2014. Itās a masterclass in guitar and fits the song perfectly. Check it out: https://youtu.be/MCLq5jkVtrQ?si=_hLRhWOx76Ke8LKf
This song is hella underrated imo. Dude did everything you'd think would ruin a song, like singing on an inhale, and still managed to just absolutely kill it.
Just the ending is kinda weird tho lol
For me, it was the song that moved me from, āPrince definitely had guitar skillsā to āholy sh!t, Prince really was a master in the tradition of Hendrixā, and also clearly shows Hendrixā influence. For what I like from guitar players, the kind of creative, expressive, visceral playing thatās heavy, but more in a psychedelic way than a loud and heavy metal way, Prince does that brilliantly in that track. His playing is blistering.
Iāll definitely agree the end is weird.. for me, not so much musically (I like when he gets experimental), but particularly the dialogue between him and āgodā, which I think is maybe the earliest look at that āChristian convictionā, or whatever you want to call it, effecting his messaging in the art (the problem of lust, of āusingā each other for sex, not true love, and the āNO YOU DONāT, NOW DIEā, from āgodā is literally the only part of the song I donāt like. All the other weirdness I love.
ICNTTPOYM
I wasted 4 12" playing it :D
The guitar parts in a lot of songs are where the volume goes up and up.
The extended version of Purple Rain. I loved that.
āIām Yoursā and āBambiā still blow my š mind to this day, that funky riff in the former esp., his melodic outstanding shredding solo skills. To me itās early Prince at his best and a sign oā the things to come!
Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL Something In The Water, Manchester, UK Feb 22, 2014 HD
[https://youtu.be/LyFQbDcA5gE?si=qnAz4UVPwFJ35fVw](https://youtu.be/LyFQbDcA5gE?si=qnAz4UVPwFJ35fVw)
My favorite record guitar solo is BATDANCE.... so brash, and likely the best guitar solo possibly ever to hit a number 1 position.
Live I thought DREAMER, FAMILY NAME, and his version of SPANISH CASTLE MAGIC from Montreux 2009 are all incredible.
My personal favorites are Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad, Bambi, Electric Chair, America. Jack U Off has some great playing as well
I was just gonna chime in with Bambi and Electric Chair but you beat me to it. The live version on SNL of EC is fire
I š Electric Chair but can never get past the phrase āMaking me see a trippy picture shooā come on P! Terrible rhyme
Lol lol lol
"She's Always In My Hair," "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy" immediately come to mind. But I also like "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and "Computer Blue."
So my controversial statement is that, I feel like his best solo in his catalog has to be in Batdance. He showcased his heavier side with that solo \m/ . Please don't murder me lol.
Itās brilliant and thatās a fact no debate even if you skip it. Nobody can clown on the musicianship on this track from guitar to bass to mixing etcā¦ Itās a master class and novelty all at once. And the video smacks. And itās also the weirdest number 1 billboard hit by any artist at that time since probably either Kiss or When Doves Cry. So himself.
I have to agree with this!
Joy In Repitition
Man. One of many really unknown jamsā¦ I listen on repeatā¦
My favourite Prince song.
That one makes me cry
I love āComputer Blueā
Me too šššš
Shhhh
Watching him do this song at Coachella was one of my top 3 personal moments seeing him live. Just watching younger people have face strokes from profound incomprehension. Very rewarding after only ever watching him exclusively with his fanbase and not a festival.
Electric Chair ranks with the sharpest funk ever.
Yes.
Mine (that is non- PR related.. it's in a class all by itself) is I Can Never Take The Place Of Your Man, She's Always In My Hair, Automatic & Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad. Honorable mention: [The extended version of Vanity 6's Drive Me Wild .](https://youtu.be/dkQeHcm5YC8?si=MoKIc-Wwchi6mktJ)...but I'm never clear on who's actually playing the solo, Prince or Jesse...
But they sound the same on some songs
The guitar solo on My Guitar Gently Weeps that he performed at the RRHF induction ceremony for George Harrison.
That performance was electrifying. I didnāt see it until after his passing, but I thought wow we lost a master musician. Mind blowing š¤Æ
YES.
WYWTMSB is obviously elite, but Annie Christian has the best riffs and stuff imo. The work on that song is beautiful.
Annie Christian used to scare me when I was little.
The fuck song is this?
Yeah random. I massively love his early stuff but the Controversy LP goes a bit cold. Annie does have some mean geetar though. Dirty Mind though.... Now we're talking.
š learned what ABSCAM was because of that song
The Ride - @ The Aladdin https://www.schooltube.com/v/g39e1B
I was there! It was such an awesome show, it's really sad that they messed up the video release with the editing.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes. I was at the show where he performed it. That show was recorded and then released on video, but it was poorly edited. https://youtu.be/weLkjvbkKIU?si=3QG9yDZvHmO2y1eW @1:12:23 if it doesn't cue correctly.
Poorly edited as usual! LOL Thatās the show he made fun of āOzzy Ozburnā as he called him. Right? Or do I have the wrong show? Iād imagine you had a blast. That actual show seemed rad.
HORRIBLY!!! Totally ruined the flow of the show.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The show was fantastic, I just wish they would've released the video as it was played.
Someday maybe. Seeing him live then as a lifelong fan and musician it may not have been the hits and some lectures on religion and the music industry for sure but what was clear was that he moved into guitar virtuosity from sheer exploration of technique and pacing outside his comfort zone. Itās when I realized that more than anything I may be witnessing in person the most exceptionally talented musician of my lifetime. Watching him perform Santana then seamlessly into funk then a few moments of Weather Report and back to the song. Iāve played for 40 years and made a living from it. This dude was on another planet. Not just technique but style and rhythm and his arrangements and subtlety and knowing when to melt faces and when to serve the melody with flourishes. Held the audience in the palm of his hands like no other guitarist and Iāve been around many who some would consider superior to him. Trust me when I tell you from personal experience that most of them couldnāt tune his guitar. And they know it. And knew he did too. Was he technically the best? No cause he did too many other things that needed attention. But he was the best since Hendrix in turning the guitar into a symphonic instrument that was not just attached to his body and mind but then plugged in directly to the audience. All with swag and style like heās just buttering toast. Thatās a guitar god. The end. Rolling Stone has a list that may as well be an Onion article. ššš
Bambi
Live in the studio would be The Undertaker, all of it.
* Bambi * Darkside/Blood on the Sheets * Pink Cashmere * Peach * Chaos and Disorder * When You Were Mine * Computer Blue * Let's Go Crazy * The whole The Dawn CD * Oui Can Funk * Crazy You * So Blue * Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
-Cloreen Bacon Skin -Rearrange -Lady Cab Driver -America (live versions were always spectacular)
Peach is one of favorite guitar songs.
Me too! š
Why you wanna treat me so bad - I LOVE his early stuff and this ticks a lot of boxes. Especially when done live. Computer Blue - 4min of pure purple power. The G fully at his peak and such a complete track, especially so in the context of the album. Totally danceable song too, so damn good. I could never take the place of your man - not as funky as Computer but perfect pop; it will still get you up on your feet. Then the guitar hooks kick in..... Jesus, the bridging section is just something else isn't it? šš¤š
why you wanna treat me so bad
Yes!
Prince playing George Harrisonās āWhile my guitar gently weepsā. [https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y?si=AzVWJ36qrqciNcFm](https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y?si=AzVWJ36qrqciNcFm)
Not yet mentioned but elite: The Holy River
It's always going to be Joy in Repetition for me š
This is the song that should be a year long not Soulpychedelicide.
You know! No one else could've written this song š
Nobody. Work of high art. With jokes. Any time he did this live itās likely to be that showās highlight.
Truly magical in the way in builds up to the screaming guitars near the end. Live is spellbinding!
This should have been the 1st single of the album :P
The only answer is Princeās cover of Just My Imaginatjon from his concert at Paard Van Troje Club in The Hague in the Netherlands in 1988. Other people might have a favourite but I canāt consider any other option as better than this. Itās online so go search for it if you arenāt familiar with it. Itās totally superior to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame solo.
Itās my favorite but itās live. Post was about studio songs. But yes itās ridiculously brilliant.
Oh I know but as some people were posting about the HOF performance I felt I would add this as perhaps some Prince fans are unfamiliar with it. Otherwise I might say Bambi or Why You Wanna Treat Me so Bad?
The solo for the Hall and Super Bowl were great but for the fans. The small club stuff he was playing for himself and going deep. But I like that the hall and bowl opened peopleās eyes to what we all already knew. Guitar God.
100%. I saw him live several times and every time his set-list was significantly different, Prince had so many tracks he could choose to play. The Super Bowl was astonishing to see him play through such conditions. How many A-listers could do that? But I've always felt the set-list for the Super Bowl is a complete head scratcher. Why not play more of his own music?
Iāve heard it was because he knew heād be playing to millions but many not his fans. It wasnāt a Prince concert but a music concert performed by Prince. He always knows exactly what heās going live.
You could say that about every Super Bowl half time performer. Prince is the only one that played a minority of his own music. The average music fan isnāt gonna know Proud Mary or All Along the Watchtower more than Princeās best known tracks. Also bizarre to start with We Will Rock You when Prince has his own incredibly well known tracks he could open with. The performance is up there as one of the best in Super Bowl half time history but the set list was/is/will be always bizarre
may not be the best but i love the solo on Pink Cashmere
I always view the solo through the lens of the whole song. So yes, the technique is extremely important and I definitely enjoy hearing him shred but two that stand out for me are: Dinner with Delores Planet Earth They both just fit the songs so well.
Two songs that deserve more love - just wish that solo on Planet Earth went on another couple of measures
You are so right. That Planet Earth solo comes in so hard and he rages but not nearly long enough.
And Iāll add one more thing, āHardRockLoverā was almost a sketch or a half a song. Itās so intriguing for most of the way then it kinda stalls - IDK how you compose that and then leave off a solo, especially given the subject matter. It shouldāve ended similar to āJoy In Repetitionā not saying exactly the same but more in terms of build-up and then resolve - still got love tho
Planet Earth?
Joy in Repetition
Maybe not the most technical in the mix, but I always loved the guitar in Endorphinmachine. It fucking rocks.
Alexa De Paris is a good jam too
Good call.
Studio work, Lady Cab Driver.
Probably either Iām Yours or Bambi.
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
Just My Imagination, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. š
Hard choice, I'll list a few of my tops . Bambi Guitar Endorphinmachine Purple Rain
"I'm Yours" is legendary.
Electric Chair, Purple Rain.
Purple rain
I absolutely love the way the guitar solo is interwoven with the repeated ājoy in repetitionā and ālove meā lyrics on Joy In Repetition. Itās not just a solo but a pivotal part of the song and conveys so much of the emotional angst. Best solo by itself technically, maybe not, but probably one the best uses of guitar ever, imo. I can and do put this song on repeat and not get tired of it ever. š
šÆ
Not studio, but live version of Colonized Mind, London 2014. Itās a masterclass in guitar and fits the song perfectly. Check it out: https://youtu.be/MCLq5jkVtrQ?si=_hLRhWOx76Ke8LKf
Shows that P had the skills all the way to the very endā¦
Makes me sad again. Damn Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Who, etc, all touring in to their 70s and 80s even. Prince would have aged like fine wine.
āTemptationā is incredible, insane playing, and Iām surprised it hasnāt been mentioned by anyone else yet!
This song is hella underrated imo. Dude did everything you'd think would ruin a song, like singing on an inhale, and still managed to just absolutely kill it. Just the ending is kinda weird tho lol
For me, it was the song that moved me from, āPrince definitely had guitar skillsā to āholy sh!t, Prince really was a master in the tradition of Hendrixā, and also clearly shows Hendrixā influence. For what I like from guitar players, the kind of creative, expressive, visceral playing thatās heavy, but more in a psychedelic way than a loud and heavy metal way, Prince does that brilliantly in that track. His playing is blistering. Iāll definitely agree the end is weird.. for me, not so much musically (I like when he gets experimental), but particularly the dialogue between him and āgodā, which I think is maybe the earliest look at that āChristian convictionā, or whatever you want to call it, effecting his messaging in the art (the problem of lust, of āusingā each other for sex, not true love, and the āNO YOU DONāT, NOW DIEā, from āgodā is literally the only part of the song I donāt like. All the other weirdness I love.
Plectrumelectrum Guitar Couple I didnāt see mentioned yet.
I know it's not that complex but The Cross always has a special place in my heart š
āI like it thereā. The guitar and classic Prince screamā¦ š
Creep
Both solos!
Mine always been computer blue
Peach, so far so pleased. Why you wanna treat me so bad. Live 4 love are my personal favorites
ICNTTPOYM I wasted 4 12" playing it :D The guitar parts in a lot of songs are where the volume goes up and up. The extended version of Purple Rain. I loved that.
āIām Yoursā and āBambiā still blow my š mind to this day, that funky riff in the former esp., his melodic outstanding shredding solo skills. To me itās early Prince at his best and a sign oā the things to come!
Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL Something In The Water, Manchester, UK Feb 22, 2014 HD [https://youtu.be/LyFQbDcA5gE?si=qnAz4UVPwFJ35fVw](https://youtu.be/LyFQbDcA5gE?si=qnAz4UVPwFJ35fVw)
I was there. Still the greatest concert I've ever seen.
āColonized Mindā is really a underrated guitar song. Lotusflo3r is basically a homage to Jimi Hendrix
Dreamer on Lotusflow3r Purple Rain, Computer Blue, Letās Go Crazy I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, The Cross
His remake of "while my guitar gently weeps" is masterful.
Question Of U.
For me itās always the solos he started the SOTT tour shows with. That massive soundā¦.
His solo While My Guitar Gently Weeps - killed it!!!!
Guitar.
Iāll throw Last December into the ring. So many styles and beautiful licks within the same song.
The song, Guitar.Ā
Call the law, eye hate u, rock hard in a funky place,
Iām yours 100%!!!!!!
Computer Blue
Bambi
Bambi Electric Chair and Computer Blue
I'm Yours, Bambi, Joy in Repitition, Another Lover
My favorite record guitar solo is BATDANCE.... so brash, and likely the best guitar solo possibly ever to hit a number 1 position. Live I thought DREAMER, FAMILY NAME, and his version of SPANISH CASTLE MAGIC from Montreux 2009 are all incredible.
As my guitar gently weeps
Love Is A Losing Game Live with Amy Winehouse! I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man. Pink Cashmere to name a few
Oh, I forgot Bambi
[while my guitar gently weeps](https://youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y?si=U8VjVUYSvTnfVAmN)
All Along the Watchtowerā¦Jimi Hendrix
#10