Prince & the Revolution - Parade: Music from the Motion Picture "Under the Cherry Moon"

Calling this one of Prince's most interesting albums doesn't do justice to how kicky and playable it is. The soundtrack from his failed romantic comedy Under the Cherry Moon, the disc often sounds like a preview of the supremely surefooted quirkiness of its follow-up, the classic Sign o' the Times. Marrying lean funk grooves to over-the-top orchestrations and trying his hand at Parisian balladry and a hushed, Pet Sounds-style instrumental, he triumphs as few other record makers did in 1986. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com essential recording

One of Prince's Most Rich and Colorful Releases!

This is one of Prince's richest and most colorful releases. He covers an awful lot of ground stylistically in a pretty short amount of time, so there's little consistency in tone and sound, and that ends up being both an asset AND a weakness on this album. The good thing though is that even the weakest material isn't so much bad as it is just really, really mediocre, so the album still ends up making for a pretty solid listen throughout (some people think "Venus De Milo" and "Do U Lie?" are really bad, I just think they're painfully mediocre--well, I guess "Do U Lie?" is pretty bad, but it has at least one major redeeming quality). There's a lot of airy instrumentation and the focus primarily is on bright, bold and colorful chords (that's one thing that's fairly consistent about the album). Prince really piles it on with the multilayered arrangements on many of the tracks, with rich horn sections being key and multipart harmony also frequently playing a significant part. He starts things off with the full blown orchestration of "Christopher Tracy's Parade" which features an absolutely magnificent multipart harmony with him, Wendy, Lisa, and Wendy's sister Susannah (who shows up on multipart harmonies throughout the album from what I've read). He gives a strong nod to Caribbean music here too in part of the horn section and I think this marks the first time that Prince delved into that area. He keeps it up on the next track too; a Caribbean style steel drum turns up on "New Position" (much of this album has a real celebratory feel, and what better way to express "celebratory" than to focus on parades and spending time in the Caribbean Islands :). "New Position" is a solid, bare, stripped down Funk number. Wendy, who seems to have really stepped into the forefront on this album, actually sings the lead on "I Wonder U"; it isn't as strong as the first two songs, but it at least still has a great groove going for it. The ballad "Under the Cherry Moon", with its obvious nod to traditional French music, (the movie was based in France so this soundtrack is sprinkled with both subtle and not so subtle French references throughout) is solid if unremarkable. The Funk track that follows it though is outstanding; "Girl and Boys" is a fully layered Funk number with a clever reference to the French theme in the chorus. He then goes from doing a little too much (the somewhat cluttered "Life Can Be So Nice") to doing a little too little (the flowery but borderline insipid instrumental piece "Venus De Milo"). The next track "Mountains" is another solid, fully layered Funk number (an interesting note about this track is that the music was actually written by Wendy and Lisa while the lyrics were penned by Prince). I don't know if Prince was trying to make up for the fact that "Mountains" is built primarily on a single chord or what, but there are constant changes in key on the follow up, the faux-early-French music schmaltz-fest "Do U Lie?". This song isn't exactly stellar, but being able to listen to Prince go through almost his entire vocal range in under 3 minutes makes listening to it worth it. I don't know too many people who aren't familiar with "Kiss", but this stripped down Funk number with the butt-kicking both lead and rhythm guitar work fully deserves to be the big hit that it is. "Anotherloverholenyohead" is just phenomenal. The arrangement is just brilliant and the chord progressions, especially in the second verse are just absolutely incredible. There's a multipart harmony with Wendy and Lisa singing the countermelody towards the end of the 2nd verse that just blows me away every time. Then he ends the album off on a really high note with the slow, affecting ballad "Sometimes It Snows In April". This album was a tough one to rate; it sags a great deal in the middle but even the weaker material usually has at least a few interesting ideas, and even the weaker moments don't really detract from it being a generally solid listen all throughout. So, even with the weaker material, I still think this is essential listening: it really helps in giving you an understanding of Prince's breadth as a composer, even when the results of his experiments aren't exactly staggering. All of the material here isn't great, but when it's good, it's *really* good ("Christopher Tracy's Parade", "Girls & Boys", "Kiss", "Anotherloverholenyohead", "Sometimes it Snows in April"..."Mountains" is really strong too), and even the weak material still at least has something interesting going on. So, taking the time to dig into this one should prove to be well-worth it. April 11, 2008

Parade

Prince-Parade ***1/2

This is rare of a Prince album released in the 1980's. almost everyone of his albums from that decade broke new ground musically one way or another and this one really fails to do so, which is really disappointing. Parade is the soundtrack to Prince's second film "Under A Cherry Moon" which was meant to be a romantic comedy but came off as awkward and flopped horribly. They album however didn't flop because of the hit single 'Kiss' but with out that this album would have flopped easily.

The musicianship here is average, and for Prince that is, well, sad. He is easily one of the most talented musicians in history and here he just seems not to be trying. 'I Wonder U' is a awful song lyrically and vocally but musically I think it is great. The weird southern fried funk thing he does somehow works and sounds amazing. 'New Position' has potential but falls short. The slow grooveless piano driven 'Under The Cherry Moon' however is a breath of fresh air. 'Girls And Boys' should be a classic. 'Kiss' was the big hit and is one of Prince's all time great songs, especially since it is yet another groove without the essential goove instrument...bass. 'Kiss' especially stands out on this album because of the mediocrity it is surrounded by. The album closes with 'Sometimes It Snows In April' which is among if not the very best song that Prince has ever written, it is especially stunning when done live, and is the perfect song to close the album. The rest of the album is hit or miss and not very memorable making this album a disappointment.

Every song on parade had the potential to be a great song but I think Prince's focus was more on the film then on the album making the music suffer. It is not a total waste however, it is fun once and a while, and is worth owning for 'Kiss' but since you can get that on any hit collection this album is worth owning for 'Sometimes It Snows In April' as to my knowledge this is the only place it is available. April 8, 2008

(3.5 stars) An odd duck

After Purple Rain broke Prince big, he made his first of many decisions that baffled fans and critics alike: he abandoned his signature funk-rock sound and put on a trippy sheen. This resulted in the "whimsical" personal displayed on Around the World in a Day. Then he filmed the infamous, widely panned vanity project Under the Cherry Moon (which I've never seen), and put this out as its soundtrack. It sure is a weird one - it opens with a good four part suite ("Christopher Tracy's Parade", "New Position", "I Wonder U", "Under the Cherry Moon") that has elements of jazz, R&B, psychedelia and experimental music, but not funk, and even the funky "Girls and Boys" has an endearingly eccentric arrangement, including a retro bari sax and a quacking keyboard. "Life Can Be So Nice" seems like a pop song, but it's oddly built on flute, ocarina and harpsichord. The loopy "Mountains" also has a lot of Prince's eccentricity, and it was one weird choice for a single. Sadly, there's also some soundtracky stuff, like the gloppy instrumental "Venus de Milo" and the flat-out incompetent "Do U Lie", with an awful accordion. But after that comes one of his best tunes, the enthusiastic no-bass funk of "Kiss", one of the few songs with Prince's infamous hypersexual lyrics and an awesome wah-wah guitar solo. And he keeps the hot streak up with the even funkier "Anotherloverholenyohead", with a really long title that rules (I like really long one word-titles that are pretty much a bunch of words sqgluiashed - yes, "sqgluiashed", I couldn't make up my mind between "squashed", "squished" and "glushed", so I just sqgluiashed the three words together), a fantastic piano hook, and slap bass. I love slap bass. It can make any song good all by itself. I bet that if even the Eagles made a song with a slap bass in it, it would be good just because of the slap bass. Then again, the Eagles have no sense of funk, because they have no sense of groove or sense of humor or sense of how to make even remotely worthwhile music. The Eagles aside, the album closes with one of Prince's loveliest acoustic ballads, "Sometimes it Snows in April", concerning death and the afterlife. There's a lot to like about this album, but it also marks the first time in Prince history when he didn't shake things up and put out an album that had nothing to do with what came before it. In short, this is Prince getting set in his ways, and you'll get the same mileage out of this as you will out of Around the World in a Day. But he would quickly get out of this semi-rut, forget about genre barriers entirely, and put out the double-album that everyone but me considers his defining artistic statement. February 20, 2008

Moving further from Purple Rain while continuing to expand the "Minneapolis Sound"

Usually when an album does not follow the success of a landmark album, the expectations for the second follow-up are not high. Not was the case when Prince would prepare to release his 1986"Parade" album. Prince was less than one year from his "Around the World in a Day" album which was the follow-up to his landmark album "Purple Rain". "Around the World in a Day" would go in a completely different direction from "Purple Rain" - abandoning the Rock-infused style of "Purple Rain" in favor of a psychedelic sound on "Around the World in a Day". This sound might have disappointed some of the expanded fan base that Prince acquired during the success of "Purple Rain", but it would add a whole new element to both Prince's music and the "Minneapolis Sound". However with the case of "Parade", things were different because "Parade" was going to represent the soundtrack for Prince's follow-up film to "Purple Rain" - "Under the Cherry Moon". Many fans of that film were also hoping for a film with the energy and intensity of "Purple Rain". Unfortunately even many loyal Prince fans would be disappointed with the follow-up film. However, while musically Prince did not re-create "Purple Rain", he would once again continue to refine the "Minneapolis Sound" and keep his legacy moving forward.

The "Minneapolis Sound" contained a mixture of Funk, Pop, R&B, and Rock. Prince was largely responsible for being a contributing architect to this sound movement. As mentioned for 1985's "Around the World in a Day", Prince would add a psychedelic element to the "Minneapolis Sound". On "Parade", Prince would continue to explore the psychedelic element as well as focus around a Funk element. The one new element he would add is a "European influence" - this would be because "Parade" served as a soundtrack for "Under the Cherry Moon" which would take place in France.

Here is a song by song synopsis of the nine tracks of "Around the World in a Day". Most of the songs seem to follow a loose segue from one to another, but the first four songs are near continuous and tightly coupled.

"Christopher Tracy's Parade": This song is best described as psychedelic music meeting marching band. I loved this track and was surprised that this didn't get any radio airplay. This song is named after the lead character in "Under the Cherry Moon" John L. Nelson - Prince's father is a co-songwriter on this track and once again proves he is a worthy songwriter.

"New Position": This song proves this isn't "Purple Rain". This song takes a little while to get used to. I would describe this song as Funk with some Caribbean percussion.

"I Wonder U": This song begins with a quasi "live setting". The beginning also almost sounds like 2000's hip-hop, but quickly this song takes on the psychedelic feel of "Around the World in a Day". Not my favorite track, but the song does have an interesting sound.

"Under the Cherry Moon": This is another song co-written by John L. Nelson. This is the title of the movie from which the music from this film comes from. This is the first song with a strong "European Sound" (this almost has an Eastern European sound). This is a slow track and like "New Position", this song is going to take a few listens to get used to.

"Girls and Boys": This is classic "Minneapolis Sound" funk. Prince effectively uses Sheila E, Wendy Melvoin, Susannah Melvoin, and Lisa Coleman to provide female vocals. When Prince collaborates with other vocalists, it usually works very well. This song is no exception.

"Life Can Be So Nice": A terrific mix of psychedelic sound and Funk. This song "flew under the radar" in terms of recognition. I particularly like the use of the percussion on this track. This song also has a perfect segue as it flows from "Girls and Boys".

"Venus de Milo": The opening piano sequence reminds me of Tears For Fears' "I Believe", but this quickly flows into a very classical sounding instrumental that is dominated by piano. This song is pure instrumental and once again shows the European influence that is present on this album.

"Mountains": This song flows very nicely from the classical "Venus de Milo" and back into a good mix of psychedelic music and Funk. While this song garnered radio airplay, I'm surprised it didn't climb to number one. The harmonies of this song are simply outstanding. I also like the horn work on this song.

"Do U Lie": This is perhaps the most European sounding song of the whole collection - and in particular the most French sounding song. This song also takes a few listens to grow on you.

"Kiss": This would become a number one song. This song is near a cappella and has become a fan favorite. However, I just don't like it. I feel Prince has many songs which are better than this one.

"Anotherloverholenyohead": This song has a perfect hand-off and transition from "Kiss". It almost starts out like Jody Watley's "Looking for a New Lover". It quickly becomes classic Funk-infused "Minneapolis Sound". This was a single and I'm surprised it didn't have greater success.

"Sometimes It Snows in April": This is a very soft and sad song. It is not one to listen to while you are depressed. It contrasts the positive sounds heard on the opening "Christopher Tracy's Parade". I think this song wraps up the CD perfectly.

There are no lyrics in my liner notes on this collection. This would turn out to be the last album Prince would do with his band - the Revolution. Overall, while Prince doesn't try to recreate "Purple Rain", he does succeed in continuing to refine and solidify the "Minneapolis Sound". While still not as strong an album as "Purple Rain", I do think this is stronger than "Around the World in a Day". Definitely worth checking out. October 22, 2007

Sometimes I feel so bad

The intrigue of this soundtrack is that it shows Prince's range. Due to the blandness of the film, I think this CD is often overlooked for its merit. It widely swings from bare soulful depths (Sometimes it Snows...) to fun ensemble pieces (Christopher Tracy...) through the more established sound of Prince, between. The music from this release did not get much attention, but in terms of observing Prince's development as an artist, you can't overlook where this phase of his sound led him in later productions. It was a turnkey era in his career. August 13, 2007

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