Funky Funko Update!

So a year ago I questioned the funkiness of the Prince Funko set and whether I would support them. Was there ever any doubt?

I grabbed all four of them! I guess they could've done worse. Well, until next time, peace and stay funky!

Life is just a game

Life is just a game we are all just the same - Controversy! Here is Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles with a cover of Prince's Controversy from the Big Bang Block Party in Atlanta from 2017. If you haven't seen or heard of Cory Henry, you need to check him out. My man is funky!

Janelle in NYC

We all know what a great mentor/supporter Prince was of Janelle Monae so of course I had to share this clip once I saw it.  I'm pretty sure P would be proud of Janelle's latest album and her current show (except for maybe the occasional curse word) and you can tell he had a huge influence on her. So enjoy the clip and stay funky!

Funky Funko?

Funko, the company that brings you vinyl figurines and bobbleheads based on the latest in pop culture, is apparently looking to bathe in the purple rain.  Sometime this fall, they are set to release their version of Prince-inspired figurines.  So far they have shown four designs with versions appearing to be based on the 1999 era(?), Purple Rain era, Raspberry Beret and the 3rd Eye Girl era. Now, I have a tendency to be biased when it comes to all things Prince and rush out and collect all I can, but I am still not sure I how I feel about these.Take a look.

I am not too sure that Funko got the funk right on these but to each his own I guess. What do you think? If you want to check out the website, you can you find the Pop Rocks - Prince here.

Until next time, Love4OneAnother, Love4EachOther, Lover4UsAll!  Peace!

4 U

Time is inching ever so closer to September and the time for me to attend the 4 U Symphonic Celebration here in the Music City.  Back at the end of last year, I had tickets to see the Music of Prince with the Nashville Symphony but then, just weeks before the show, we received an email from the symphony saying that the show as cancelled at the request of the Estate.  Needless to say, I was less than enthused.  The estate is not releasing any music. They are not releasing any video. They are not giving the fans what they want or need. All they are doing is in-fighting and now they are cheating me out of a moment to enjoy the wondrous music of Prince played by a symphony. What the hell? The email said that the Estate was planning their own musical tribute. Yeah, right! We shall see.  Well, I guess I was wrong to doubt the email, because here we are with 4U.  Here is how it is described on the official website which can be found here:

ABOUT THE TOUR

Live Nation Urban and TCG Entertainment are proud to present the first and only official Estate approved symphonic presentation of Prince’s music, titled 4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince. 4U will present the music of Prince like never before, with a full orchestra. In addition, each show will feature a live band who will perform collectively with the orchestra. 4U will draw from Prince’s singular and extensive music catalog, highlighting many of his greatest hits alongside lesser known gems. Live Nation and TCG Entertainment are working in partnership with acclaimed drummer and creative Questlove to curate the set list and arrangements to be played by the symphony.

The 2018 tour will include shows in both the United States and Europe, starting in early September and running through November 2018. Additional dates will be announced for 2019 at a later date.

What is the show?
4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince highlights the music of Prince like never before, with a full symphony orchestra. The show will draw from Prince’s extensive music catalog and will feature many of the hits that captivated generations of fans, alongside lesser known gems — all interpreted and performed via a world class symphony orchestra.

Is there a band?
Yes, in addition to the symphony orchestra, the production will include a live band who will perform collectively with the symphony — together creating a truly unique opportunity to experience Prince’s iconic music. This show is not “impersonating” Prince, but is instead “celebrating” Prince and his boundless creative output. 

What is in the show?
Complementing the live musicians, 4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince will feature state-of-the-art production elements, as well as photo and video content provided by The Prince Estate.

What does “official” mean?
4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince is officially endorsed by the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson. This is the only approved Prince symphonic show in the world.

Needless to say, I am really excited to see this show. I am not sure what I expect, but just to share purple music with my fellow purple family is a therapeutic experience in and of itself.  I'll make sure that I come back and give a recap of my symphonic experience after the show. Until then, peace & B-wild!!!!!!!!

23 Albums in a One Nite Stand?

Well, it’s been a while I know but I guess I’m back. At least for now. So, what brought me back? Well it seems that the Prince Estate has finally managed to get around to releasing some more of the purple catalog. In a press release from Sony’s Legacy Recordings, they announced that 23 albums would be made available for streaming on the 17^th of August (yesterday) and that a new anthology would be available for streaming and download as well. This new compilation titled Anthology 1995-2010 features 37 tracks culled from Prince’s various albums during this time frame. Even though I have heard every track on the release, I have to hand it to who ever came up with the tracklist, it flows rather nicely and I rather like the compilation. It is definitely worth a listen!

Here is the press release from Legacy Recordings or you can view the original article here:

The first wave of Prince catalog titles to be released through an exclusive agreement struck in June between SME and The Prince Estate focuses on 1995-2010, a crucial epoch in Prince history. 23 highly-collectible Prince catalog titles (many of them hard-to-find or out-of-print) and Prince Anthology: 1995-2010 (a newly-curated anthology of 37 essential tracks from the era) are now available across all major streaming services and digital service providers.

Listen to/buy Prince Anthology: 1995-2010 here: https://Prince.lnk.to/anthology

Many of these albums, long sought-after by fans and collectors, are available for the first time for streaming and download, adding more than 300 essential Prince songs to the artist's online in-print catalog.

For Prince, 1995-2010 was an unprecedented period of sustained and prolific creativity. Releasing fresh recordings at a rapid-fire pace through a variety of distribution strategies including his own online NPG Music Club, Prince was making some of the most provocative, experimental and soulful music of his career. Freed from major label demands and expectations, Prince was able to write, record and release his own music on his own terms.

Assembled and curated under the auspices of The Prince Estate, Prince Anthology: 1995-2010 brings together 37 key recordings from the era. Opening with the title track from Emancipation ("This is my most important record," said Prince when the album was released in 1996) and closing with the anthemic "We March" (from 1995's The Gold Experience), this new compilation provides a coherent musical chronicle of Prince's artistic and spiritual evolution through the late 20th and early 21st centuries in songs that continue to resonant in the culture.

Prince Anthology: 1995- 2010 draws spotlight tracks from The Gold Experience, Emancipation, Chaos and Disorder, Crystal Ball, The Truth, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, The Rainbow Children, One Nite Alone..., C-Note, N.E.W.S., Xpectation, Musicology (includes 2005 Best Male R&B Performance Grammy winner "Call My Name"), The Slaughterhouse, The Chocolate Invasion, 3121 (the first Prince album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200), Planet Earth, LOtUSFLOW3R, MPLSoUND and 20Ten.

Prince catalog titles newly available digitally via SME/Legacy are:

1. The Gold Experience (1995) ("The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" greyed out, partial album streaming only; album unavailable for download)

2. Chaos and Disorder (1996)

3. Emancipation (1996)

4. Crystal Ball (1998)

5. The Truth (1998)

6. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (1999)

7. Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic (2001)

8. The Rainbow Children (2001)

9. One Nite Alone… (2002)

10. One Nite Alone…Live! (2002)

11. One Nite Alone...Live - The Aftershow: It Ain't Over (Up Late with Prince & The NPG) (2002)

12. Xpectation (2003)

13. N.E.W.S. (2003)

14. C-Note (2004)

15. Musicology (2004)

16. The Chocolate Invasion (Trax from the NPG Music Club: Volume 1) (2004)

17. The Slaughterhouse (Trax from the NPG Music Club: Volume 2) (2004)

18. 3121 (2006)

19. Planet Earth (2007)

20. Indigo Nights (2008)

21. LOtUSFLOW3R (2009)

22. MPLSoUND (2009)

23. 20Ten (2010)

24. Prince Anthology: 1995-2010

Prince Anthology: 1995-2010

01. Emancipation (from Emancipation, 1996)

02. Black Sweat (from 3121, 2006)

03. P. Control (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

04. Crucial (from Crystal Ball, 1998)

05. The Love We Make (from Emancipation, 1996)

06. Eye Hate U (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

07. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (from Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, 1999)

08. Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U (from Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, 1999)

09. Gold (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

10. Guitar (from Planet Earth, 2007)

11. Dream Factory (from Crystal Ball, 1998)

12. The Work Part 1 (from The Rainbow Children, 2001)

13. Call My Name (from Musicology, 2004)

14. Strays of The World (from Crystal Ball, 1998)

15. Shhh (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

16. Dreamer (from LOtUSFLOW3R, 2009)

17. Chaos and Disorder (from Chaos and Disorder, 1996)

18. Endorphinmachine (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

19. Musicology (from Musicology, 2004)

20. Northside (from The Slaughterhouse, 2004)

21. When Eye Lay My Hands on U (from The Chocolate Invasion, 2004)

22. Beautiful Strange (from Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, 2001)

23. Future Soul Song (from 20Ten, 2010)

24. Empty Room (from C-Note, 2004)

25. 3rd Eye (from The Truth, 1998)

26. U're Gonna C Me (from One Nite Alone..., 2002)

27. Dinner With Delores (from Chaos and Disorder, 1996)

28. Ol' Skool Company (from MPLSoUND, 2009)

29. 4ever (from LOtUSFLOW3R, 2009)

30. West (from N.E.W.S., 2003)

31. Xpedition (from Xpectation, 2003)

32. Muse 2 The Pharaoh (from The Rainbow Children, 2001)

33. Somewhere Here On Earth (from Planet Earth, 2007)

34. U Make My Sun Shine (from The Chocolate Invasion, 2004)

35. 1+1+1 Is 3 (from The Rainbow Children, 2001)

36. Chelsea Rodgers (from Planet Earth, 2007)

37. We March (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

About Legacy Recordings

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is home to the world's foremost library of historically significant commercial recordings, a peerless collection of works by the most significant musical artists of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Across a variety of platforms, the label has revolutionized the catalog market, offering contemporary music fans access to thousands of meticulously restored and remastered archival titles representing virtually every musical genre including popular, rock, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, country, gospel, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, rap/hip-hop, world music, classical, comedy and more.

About The Prince Estate:

The Prince Estate passionately presents Prince's life and work, and cultivates opportunities to further his legacy. As the singular, authoritative source on all things Prince, The Prince Estate inspires and educates fans, celebrates Prince in his totality, and stewards Prince's legacy into the future. www.princeestate.com

SOURCE Legacy Recordings

Related Links

http://www.legacyrecordings.com

So, there you have it world, okay? Ain’t nothing like funky music so turn it up and rock hard in a funky place! Until next time, peace & B-wild!!!!!!!!!

Childish Gambino - This is America

So Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, has come out with new music and a new video that is taking the world by storm. I heard someone the other day say that Gambino is this generation's Prince due to his multifaceted talent. Well, first of all, get the hell out of here with that noise! Now, don't get me wrong, I love Gambino and think that the man is an absolute genius. But there was and is only one Prince and that is the Purple Yoda from Minnesota, all others are just wanna-bes, you know? Oh, ummmm.... sorry I sort of went off on a rant there. Anyway, check out Childish Gambino's awesome new joint This is America. The hidden and not so hidden meaning will kill ya!

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles - Controversy

I saw this and I knew immediately that I had to share it. After all, it is real music by real musicians. Here is Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles jamming at Kaufleuten in Zürich, Switzerland on 4/24/18 with an awesome, energetic cover of Prince’s Controversy. The band seem to be having so much fun with it and even add the “party” chants from 1999 at the end. I believe Prince would’ve approved of this performance. Watch and see what you think then let me know in the comments.

RSD 2018 - Hunting 4 1999

Let’s flashback to Saturday, April 21, 2018.  It’s a beautiful spring day here in the Music City which I was hoping would be a good sign for I was on the hunt.  You see, this day was Record Store Day and I was on the hunt for the Warner Bros. single disc reissue of the 1999 album. Since I am one of those nocturnal creatures of the night, I had just gotten off work, quickly changed clothes and Ms. Spooky and I made our way to nearest Wrecka Stow where a line had already formed. We took our place in line like the good obedient automatons that society has turned us into meanwhile I could not shake the image of the lines of children marching into the meat grinder from Pink Floyd’s The Wall. As we stood with the 200 or so other people in front of us, we idly chit-chatted and listened to the banal ramblings of three soon-to-be lawyers as they discussed how they had the solutions to all of the world’s problems. Even as one of them talked about how he couldn’t manage to even parallel park his car.  Wait… what? You can’t parallel park your car but you can solve the world’s problems? Okay there Skippy McGriffin!!! Sorry, I digress, but I had to listen to Skippy and the Wonder Twins for almost two hours until the store opened.  While waiting in line, I discovered that several people in front of me were also in search of the same record I was. Hmmmm… this did not bode well for me. I needed to come up with a Plan ‘B” but what could that be? Then inspiration struck me. Well, not really. I wouldn't say it struck me or that I was actually inspired at all. You see, what happened was I actually got a message on Twitter from my friend Gina in Ohio.  Seems Gina was in search of 1999 as well and was having much better luck.  Where I was in line with hundreds of others, she was at her local Wrecka Stow with just a couple of people.  So Plan “B” was born.  If she could, she would grab an extra copy of 1999 for me just in case I couldn’t grab one for myself.  So we waited.

As time crawled past with glacier like speed, I followed Gina’s progress on Twitter since she is an hour ahead of me.  She breezed in to her local Wrecka Stow and snatched up her copy of 1999 but alas, a copy for me was not to be found. But not one to give up, the campaign quickly turned to another Wrecka Stow that she knew had a couple of copies of the album.  Meanwhile, the line I was in slowly inched its way inside my Wrecka Stow here in Music City. Another update from Gina to let me know that she had arrived at Checkpoint Bravo and that golden goose had flown the coop, in other words, she was at the new Stow but they were sold out of 1999.  Damn! Plan “B” isn't looking too hot right now! Finally I make my way into my local Stow and what do you know, no 1999. Not a copy to be found anywhere, which is exactly what I feared. Ms. Spooky decided to ask one of the employees, you know just in case we had overlooked it or it was in some special place we hadn’t thought of looking.  So she finds an employee, some 20-something kid with shaggy-mop hair that looks like he’s closer to 12 years old and asks him if they have 1999 by Prince.  He says, “Prince? Hmmm… Prince is probably in the ummmm. Probably in the P’s.  I’d check in that area.” Wow!!! Thank you sooo much. I would never have guessed to look there. Someone call NASA and let them know that I found their missing rocket scientist. On a side note, do you know how hard it is to type while you are rolling your eyes? Pretty damn hard.  Anyway, back to the Mensa-Man of the Year candidate and our search for the ever-elusive 1999.  So after the shocking epiphany of checking in the “P” section, I decided it was time to leave.  As I slowly walked to the car, head hanging in defeat, I sent Gina a message to let her know that we had failed miserably also but thanks for trying.  She replied back, “Good news! I got you one!” Apparently while I was dealing with the rocket surgeon (yeah, rocket surgeon – you know - part rocket scientist, part brain surgeon), she had gone to a third Wrecka Stow and hit the jackpot. Then after a few days wait, I received a package in the mail and I was the proud owner of a Record Store Day 2018 Exclusive single-disc re-issued Prince album 1999.

This is what the Purple Army is all about.  True Funk Soldiers coming together in the spirit of Love 4 One Another and helping each other out. So thank you once again, Gina and of course thank you for each and every day, Ms. Spooky! To the rest of you, remember to Love 4 One Another, Love 4 Each Other, Love 4 Us All! Peace, B-Wild & Stay Funky!!!

There's A War Going On!

The war will go on and on and on
If U do not wish 2 be in the war U should leave now

We are about 2 challenge what U believe
If U do not wish 2 be challenged U should leave now
Saturday morning awaits

Dig up purple people, I've got something on my mind.  I've spoken about retrospeculation before and that's what I'm doing right now.  Flash backward to 1998 at Paisley Park.  Prince was performing live and the crowd was listening to what would later be released as The War.  Now in this 45 minute sonic adventure (26 minutes would later be edited and released), Prince asks if we would be willing to let the government place a microchip in our neck. He talks of an underground metropolis, a paradise where there is plenty of food, clean air and no worries.  But the admission is letting the government place a microchip in your neck.  Seemingly to track and control your every movement.  Would you go? "Would U stay on top of the chip and await your fate?"

Now take a look around at the world we live in today.  We have people starving around the world, hatred grows everyday and our leaders haven't got the first clue how to lead.  We have designed our computers to get smarter and smarter so that now they are designing themselves using their own languages that they have invented.  The original computer programmers no longer know what they are even saying because they can't understand the language.  Our world has become interconnected and solely reliant on the internet so that if you take down even a small section of it, corporations come to a grinding halt.  AI is the wave of the future and the future is now but is the human race ready for the next step? Are we ready for super intelligent hybrids? Humans with computer enhanced brains or worse, computers that are sentient? Then comes a company like Three Square Market who is wanting to install RFID microchips in it's employees.  That's right, this company wants to place chips into its employees saying that it will allow them easier access to the building, logging onto their computers and even making purchases in the break room.  Could it also be used to track employee movement? Can it be tracked outside of work? After all, you have essentially lo-jacked your employee.  What's to stop you (or some nefarious group) from using this for other means? 

So after nearly 20 years, it seems that Prince was nearly right.  Except, instead of the government micro-chipping us, it's the private sector but I am quite sure there is some government interest.   So what would you do? "Would U stay on top of the chip and await your fate?" Would you let them lo-jack you? Before you answer, listen what Prince had to say on the subject of computers:

So there you have it world. At least that's my take on it.  It's up to you to make up your mind and free yourself but the war will go on and on!  Until next time.....peace and be wild!

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Revolution!

This is a post that is two months overdue but it is finally here.  Back on May 15th, I had the privilege of attending a very special concert at the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, Kentucky.  What band was playing that night? None other than The Revolution. That's right, Prince's former band was performing and there was not a chance in hell that I was not going to be there.  Not only was I there, I was at the very front of the stage rocking along with all the deep purple concord jams that I grew up with.  From the opening drum beat of Computer Blue that kicked off the show, The Revolution took us on a whirlwind tour of the soundtrack of my life. America was next followed by Mountains from Parade.  Next up was Automatic which led to Take Me With U.  Then special guest Stokley Williams (from Mint Condition) came out to take over lead vocalist duties on Uptown and D.M.S.R..

The then unreleased Our Destiny with Wendy and Lisa on lead vocals was next and this segued straight into Brownmark leading on the then unreleased Roadhouse Garden. Both of these songs have since been released on the Remastered Deluxe Edition of Purple Rain.  Stokley came back out as the band jumped into Raspberry Beret which was more of a crowd sing-a-long.  Next up was an extremely funky Erotic City with some slinky guitar work by Wendy.  I mean baby girl was playing that thing and I guarantee if Prince would have been there, he would have definitely been making one of his funk faces! Keeping that funk groove going, the band slid right into Let's Work with Stokley sharing vocal duties with Wendy. After a rousing version of 1999, which had the entire place rocking and chanting "PARTY!" at the top of our lungs, Wendy took to the mic for a brief monologue.  She spoke about Paisley Park and the time of Around the World in a Day and how it was a great time for Prince as a lyricist. She spoke about what Paisley Park meant and how much the song meant to him and the band and asked the crowd to sing along with them so that Prince could hear us.  And boy did we ever get loud because we let everyone know that "Paisley Park is in your heart!"

The Revolution went old school next with Controversy which segued into Mutiny rather nicely.  Then came one of the most heart-stopping, gut-wrenching moments of the night.  The band left the stage except for Wendy and Lisa and Wendy spoke about the day that Prince died.  And then she spoke about going through songs that they (Wendy & Lisa) had done with Prince and they came across Sometimes It Snows In April. They realized that they had recorded that song on 4/21/85 and that Prince had died on 4/21/16. So they said they had to play it for him.  They then performed Sometimes It Snows In April with Wendy on guitar and Lisa on piano and I cried like a baby.  I think we all did.

After a short break, the band reappeared and those familiar organ chords began playing before those famous words of "Dearly beloved..." were spoken and the band launched into Let's Go Crazy. Delirious and Kiss were next  followed by When Doves Cry.  Then we heard that familiar guitar chord from Wendy and the crowd lost their minds as Purple Rain was played.  Wendy played an amazing solo at the end that would have made Prince proud and then they were gone. But they weren't through with us as they came back out once more for I Would Die 4 U and then finally Baby, I'm A Star! After that, they took a bow and then left the stage for good.

I grabbed some swag at the merch table but my fav stuff is the autographed poster from the band, the setlist from the show and a guitar pick from Wendy! I went to celebrate Prince's music and it ended up being a very healing night.  I also met some new Prince friends and can't wait to see them again!

So there you have it folks! It was an awesome experience and if you have a chance to see them, go see The Revolution. They put on one hell of a show and you will not regret it.  If nothing else, go see them for the healing aspect and to honor the music of Prince! Until next time, peace & be wild!