Rock communities generally divide. Although the genre doesn’t need to define “real rock,” it’s simple to understand why Metallica wouldn’t be on the same radio station as The Cars at their peak. Prince saw various sound paths instead of genre boundaries, and Elton John was amazed when he blew up. It will take something big to change John’s mind. It’s apparent from his career’s amount of fantastic ensembles that John understood how to get people to respond when he walked the stage, wearing expensive costumes that would make Liberace blush. Prince was as prolific with his various stage clothes, but half were set dressing for his songs. The homespun sound of singer-songwriters didn’t match John’s manner, but Prince was a chameleon onstage, switching genres on every record.
David Bowie is frequently credited as one of the earliest music shapeshifters, but Prince’s ability to merge R&B, soul, rock and roll, and jazz takes years to perfect. John recalled Prince as a once-in-a-generation talent notwithstanding his 1970s solo catalogue’s worst days. In a memorial event for Prince, John observed, “He’s probably the greatest musician I’ve ever seen live onstage without question.” Many current artists use Prince in their sound. Nothing was impossible for him. We knelt at his knees because musicians recognize quality.” Prince created many outstanding records, but few have been able to tour and improve them. ‘Purple Rain’ works well inside the record and movie, but when you see Prince soaked in sweat during live video of the solo, you know it’s musical perfection.
That’s a power ballad, but the master’s touch is when he can peel things back swiftly. Prince could flip on a dime and play letter-perfect funk like the horn-dog sex tune ‘Kiss’ and then crank on the swagger for ‘I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man’. Despite John’s success with ballads, his rock-tinged moments couldn’t match Prince’s. Prince borrowed so many musical genres over his career, that it almost seems unfair for the rest of us that he did so well.
