Inductee #7 – Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning American Pop , Hard Rock , Funk, Rock, R&B musician. He performs simply as Prince, but has also been known by various other names, among them an unpronounceable symbol () “The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince)” and “The Prince Of Pop” (actually “disputing” this title among the critic with Justin Timberlake.

His career has spanned several styles: from his early material, rooted in R&B, soul and funk, he has consistently expanded his musical palette throughout his career, absorbing many other genres including New Wave, pop, rock, jazz, and hip hop. The distinctive characteristics of the early-to-mid 1980s work that brought him to super-stardom–including sparse and industrial-sounding drum machine arrangements, and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music–was called the “Minneapolis sound” and has proved very influential.

Prince is a prolific artist, having released several hundred songs both under his own name and with other artists. Well known as a perfectionist, Prince is highly protective of his music. He produces, composes, arranges and performs nearly all of the songs on his albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

I couldn’t have Michael Jackson in the Hall of Fame without adding his arch rival, Prince, as well. While both are legends in their own right, Prince has the advantage of having a more rounded sound, genre-wise, with his music being able to be categorised in a myriad of styles. One thing I feel is sometimes neglected about Prince, is his amazing guitaring, almost Hendrixesque. He’s rarely seen without his famous Love Symbol guitar, whether it be in yellow or purple. A truly immense talent in the music world for the past 30 years and never short of controversy, Prince deserves to hold a place in any music Hall of Fame, and has certainly warranted his place in this one.

What’s the news on Michael Jackson’s new album?

Well, your guess is as good as mine. Initially intended to be released in the autumn/fall of last year, no new news has been confirmed as to its release date, with only Jackson himself and closest “fellow-workers”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson’s_forthcoming_studio_album

What is known, is that will.i.am, Ne-Yo and Akon have all played a part in the production and writing of tracks for the album, which should add some much need popularity to the album, due to Michael’s somewhat unfortunate media attention over the past 2 decades. Anymore news, and I’ll keep you all posted.

Inductee #4 – The Jackson 5

 

The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music quintet (and briefly a sextet and quartet) from Gary, Indiana. The group, fully active from 1966 to 1990, regularly played from a repertoire of R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. Considered “one of the biggest phenomenons in pop music”^[1] during the early 1970s, the Jackson 5 are also notable for launching the careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael. Joseph Jackson formed the early incarnation of the band in 1964 and served as its manager, with Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and unrelated youths Reynaud Jones and Milford Hite comprising its original lineup. Within a year, however, Michael and Marlon joined the band forming the principal lineup of the group.

Signed to the Motown label from 1968 to 1975, and to Epic/CBS Records (as “The Jacksons”) from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era and became the first recording act to have their first four major label singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”) reach the top of the American charts. Several future singles, among them “Mama’s Pearl”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Dancing Machine”, were Top 5 pop hits and number-one hits on the R&B singles chart. Most of the early hits were written and produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The Corporation™; later Jackson 5 hits were crafted chiefly by Hal Davis.

Significantly, they were the first black teen idols to appeal equally to white audiences. Upon their departure from Motown for CBS in 1975, the Jacksons were forced to change their name and replace Jermaine (who remained at Motown) with younger brother Randy. The group took control of their songwriting, production, and image, and their success continued into the 1980s with hits such as “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “State of Shock”, and the highly successful Victory Tour. The Jacksons officially disbanded in 1990, after the commercial underperformance of their 1989 album 2300 Jackson Street, recorded mostly without Michael and Marlon.

Just recently, I’ve really got into their music and I absolutely love it. While Michael’s voice is spectacular as lead, the backing music deserves a lot of credit. The guitar riffs in each song are different and yet ultimately catchy and in later albums, the introduction of other instruments and special sound effects added a further element to their sound. The magnificent thing about their music was that no matter when they released their albums, whether it was in the 60s, 70s or 80s, their sound was always fresh and with the times; just listening to Victory was enough to tell you it was made in the mid 1980s. If you’re a fan of Motown, or just a funk, dance or soul kinda guy/gal, I compell you to get hold of their music.

Albums worth acquiring are:

• Triumph
• Victory
• Destiny
• The Jacksons
• Moving Violation
• ABC
• Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5