Journey 2 The Center Of The Ball

[freedom]

Brendan Patrick Crilly's review of this breakthrough compilation.

http://www.thedawnexperience.co.uk/images/crystal.jpgThe date was November 19, 1996, and it was dubbed by the Artist as "Emancipation Day." This was the date in which his almost 20-year run with Warner Bros. would come to screeching halt, having just a few months prior negotiated his way out of his contract. He was now a free man, and to hear him describe it, a huge weight of obligation and constraint had been lifted from his shoulders. Not only was this a celebration of the release of his newest album "Emancipation"--one of the largest new releases in music history, at 3 hours in length--but this was a celebration to announce that he could do anything he wanted now. ANYTHING! Hell, if he so desired and was so inspired, he could record an album containing instrumentation provided only by the caustic vibrato of a washboard, the pounding thump of an overturned pickle barrel, and the screeching, whirling sounds of a kazoo. Fortunately, as of this writing, no such album has been rumoured, or has surfaced; even as a bootleg! Inside the liner notes of that freedom proclaiming album he planted the seed for the work that would represent some of his first steps in the evolution of his emancipation. That seed was "Crystal Ball," an album referred to as a "3-CD set of previously bootlegged material." The name "Crystal Ball" being significant, in that it was the name of the Artist's triple album Warner Bros. refused to release due to their "too much music stance," and therefore, this album eventually evolved into his 1987 double album "Sign O' The Times." With this very innocent looking message announcing this new release and a phone number to call regarding it, the journey to obtaining the Artist's "Crystal Ball" had begun; a journey that for many fans has been littered with car-sized potholes, cluttered with dozens of road blocks, and fraught with problems at almost every turn. In fact, Moses may have faced less obstacles while leading his people to the Promise Land, then some of his fans have had trying to track down and get their hands on the Artist's Balls; and a few wanted to squeeze rather hard when they finally did! Some people in fact are still wondering in the wilderness, rather appropriately quoting the lyrics to "Still Waiting" from his 1979 self-titled album:
"The love my friends rap about I keep anticipating/ I try so hard but don't you know my patience is fading away!" The string of nightmares that were to befall this release should have been quite obvious just by observing the way in which this album was first announced. After all, just imagine announcing a phone number to contact about a new album in the liner notes of a release that was destined for multi-platinum sales, when that phone number had been nothing but a little mom-and-pop shop that sold T-shirts and tambourines. Suddenly, overnight, that mom-and-pop outfit, with no plan, a skeleton staff, no computers, and little if any training, are thrust into situation of handling thousands of incoming calls from all over the world. Just about every business person on the planet would take one look at this scenario, start laughing uncontrollably, then start running like mad to the comforting hills of rationality! Most business people would want at least 6 months, if not a full year to analyse, design, develop and implement a new business, before it is being waved like a flag in almost every major media outlet on the globe. However, not the Artist, that's not how he does things. His business moves seem driven by artistic vision alone. He doesn't let little things like common sense or business reality slow him down. Since he seems able to pull off miracles on an almost daily basis in the studio, I guess he just expects that his business associates can do the same. However, it's not the same. Art can exists outside of a time-table and a plan; business cannot.

NEWFUNK.....THE LITTLE LEMONADE STAND THAT COULD?

Dig if you will a picture of a hot sticky day in July; the kind of day that inspires young kids in the neighbourhood to start setting up a lemonade stand, with visions of stacks and stacks of money piling up in their heads, and dreams of how they'll spend it all. With one small pitcher of lemonade on a wobbly cardboard table covered in mom's best tablecloth, and fronted with a crooked, Crayola drawn sign advertising their wares, the kids set out to tackle the market system! Much to the kids surprise, as soon as the scent of lemonade hits the air, folks start lining up by the hundreds at first, then by the thousands, and eventually by the tens of thousands. In fact, there is a line not only around the block, but around the entire city! Needless to say, the kids are not prepared, nor are they experienced with handling such an enormous crowd, but the crowd is assured that if they're patient enough to wait it out, all will eventually get their cups filled. However, as week after week passes without even a small sign that the line is moving or that anyone is really getting any closer to the front, thousands drop out of line, and hundreds simply die of thirst before they ever even get within shouting distance of the little cardboard stand.
When the crowd gets unruly and threatens to revolt, a message is sent from the lemonade stand to let the masses know they shouldn't worry because cups are being filled at the amazing pace of 250-400 per day! Just imagine how well that message went down when it reached those folks at the back of the line soaking in their own sweat, with tens of thousands of bodies in front of them. Add into the mix the fact that the people waiting had no idea what flavour of lemonade was being served or even what size the cups were when they initially got in line, that credit cards were the only form of payment not met with laughter at the cardboard-serving table, that those in line not from North America had to pay a great deal more for the same exact lemonade, and that after months of waiting in that line, an announcement was made that the same lemonade was now being sold at juice joints all over the planet. If you got all that, you should have a real good image of the Artist's new phone and Internet ordering business, 1-800-NEW-FUNK (from here out referred to as NewFunk). Welcome to the Dawn! Apparently you will need two forms of ID and the patience of Job to see it; but, hey, welcome just the same! Unprepared, unprofessional, and
woefully understaffed; that's NewFunk, and as of yet it's hardly the revolutionary tool for music distribution that it has been touted as being.
However, things are starting to look at least a little brighter, as the lemonade stand has recently entered the computer age, and all the names of those people standing in line have been converted from chicken scratch on paper napkins, to a real computer database, where there is no longer any chance of your name floating away when a nasty wind kicks up, or being smeared into unreadability when one of the lemonade stand employees uses it to wipe their face or clean-up after a nasty spill. Hearing the Artist brag with so much conviction about how happy he is with the sales of "Crystal Ball" and how surprised he is with how many friends he has who have purchased it, is quite a telling statement, and immediately three things come to mind in regards to it: One, he had no clue that so many people were interested in his vault material; two, it's obvious that he is so shielded from the day-to-day operation that he has no idea of all the problems occurring; and three, damn it's refreshing to hear an artist so
apparently happy and inspired in his art, that the possibility of 100,000 sales of his latest album brings joy instead of anger and bitterness. This attitude is sure in stark contrast to so many artists whose whole existence seems to be centred on everything but the music, and who have almost completely forgotten that the true joy is in the art of creation, not the art of marketing and mega-million sales. There is of course nothing innately wrong with wanting to sell your art. If artists were to be honest, most, if not all, would tell you that they would like to get their work in the hands of as many people as possible. However, there is a HUGE difference between desiring to get your music heard, and making it practically your entire being and thinking that this is where you will ultimately find your happiness.
ALTERNATIVE PACKAGING OR PLASTIC CLAPTRAP?
Another new facet of his freedom from the traditional ways of the main-stream recording industry was the announcement that "Crystal Ball" would be packaged in a "special" collector's case. According to Steve Parke, the art director for "Crystal Ball," in an interview given to Replication News, the Artist wanted something different that would not only "catch the eye," but would "circumvent the bootleggers by putting out a package they can't replicate." Apparently the original plan was to come up with a package that would live up to the "Crystal Ball" name, but there was some concerns over breakage and the notion of packing and shipping a fragile piece. And then once it was decided that the package would be available in stores, Parke adds, "A lot of the time, retailers won't deal with it if they can't put it on their shelves." Therefore, if you'll pardon the pun, the "real" alternative packaging got shelved. What we ended up with instead is a 3-piece clear plastic contraption--shaped like a large pill--where the middle "half-moon" piece holds the 5 discs, and the two clear outer plastic dishes encapsulate the funk. In a wee bit of
irony, the discs themselves, much like the actual music contained within, don't fit the mould. In fact, you'll need the hands of a surgeon to get your 5-discs to fit in their proper slots without scratching them all to hell. And, make no mistake, no matter how hard you squint, the packaging doesn't look even remotely like a crystal ball. However, they did succeed in one thing, and that is creating a package that probably will be cost prohibitive for the bootleggers to copy; but that point is obviously meaningless if the packaging is not even viewed as being good enough to be considered a necessary collector's item by fans. Liner notes were another point of contention and frustration with this release, in that the original plan called for none to be handed out with the package; rather only making the track information and lyrics available on the Internet. Parke explains, "We later changed our minds when we realised that not everyone had access to the Internet." Apparently then, this decision must have been made after the first batch of "Crystal Ball" albums were already manufactured and sealed, because fans who ordered via phone did not get the booklet, but those who purchased their copies in stores did. Why they couldn't have just printed up extra booklets and thrown in a copy with the FedEx package, I certainly can't understand. However, maybe it was for the best, as adding yet another element of possible confusion onto NewFunks' already shaky cardboard table, would no doubt have created even more confusion, and may have just collapsed the damn thing altogether! I can just imagine the look on the poor person's face who does not have access to the Internet or one of the Fanzines trying to figure out what music is on these 5 discs, when only the tracks contained on the fourth disc are labelled. Talk about your adventures! Somebody needs to send these folks at least a hand-scribbled note containing the track list, or else they might just have to make up names to all these songs for themselves; much like has already been done for years by bootleggers.
CRITICS AND THEIR FOIBLES
So often the Artist gets judged through the subjective eyes of critics that have little if any clue about his background, nor where he is coming from as an artist. Many in fact are not much better than your "average joe" of the street. They know him only by his hits, his eccentric nature, and they think he is obsessed with sex. Some, quite unbelievably, still think this guy is some kind of 3 or 4-minute pop maestro whose popularity has run its course, and who will very soon (if he hasn't already) just fade into the sunset, only to appear every now and then to dust off the old hits and go out on a tour to parade his past glories. Kind of like what James Brown and Chuck Berry have been doing for the last two decades; coasting. These guys have been on autopilot so long, I'm not sure they still even remember how to fly. Understanding that this is the rather warped perspective many critics are bringing to the table, it is not difficult to understand their confusion and foibles. After all, how many "cast-off" albums, particularly 3-CD sets, do you think are ever released that have any merit whatsoever outside the small world of an artist's established fans base? The answer: It's slightly more common than a total eclipse of the sun. Therefore, it is understandable that an overworked critic, whose knowledge is not there, and whose patience with this guy has worn thin (name change, "slave" stance, etc.), could in fact just give this one a brief spin and conclude, "It's just for hard-core fans." As easy as this is to understand, it doesn't excuse this stance from being lazy and about as inspired a conclusion as saying the President of the United States enjoys sex. Let's dig a little deeper as we glimpse the "Crystal Ball" and see if we can't see things a little closer to how things might be viewed by music historians, rather than the muck some of these rubes churn out after a cursory listen with a head clogged of biases, and nearly enough knowledge to fill a thimble.
THE PEG GAME
Remember that game you had as a crib-crawler where you had to fit the wooden square, circle and star into the proper slots on a wooden cut-out board? Well, the young Prince surely must have been one frustrated little tyke when it came to playing this particular game. The way he sees life, the star fits with the square and the circle looks great with the star; and hey, as far as he's concerned, why not even try and put all three wooden pegs into the same slot? He must have spent hours crying in his bib, trying to figure out why that game did not work the way he thought it should. His parents must have been at their wits end, thinking, "What's the matter with him? Why can't he just be like all the other kids?" Who could blame them either, when you're blessed with the wisdom of age and you know that such differences will only cause more heartache to find your doorstep as you traverse your way through life. However, the little diaper-wearing Prince didn't know any better, as he was just being himself, and fortunately for those who have enjoyed his music, he never let that game shape him; rather it appears he just picked the damn thing up and dropped it over the side of his crib, watching in glee as it smashed into a million pieces. The music industry is also quite familiar with that childhood game of pegs; they should be, they've been playing it for decades
now. Needless to say, when it comes to this game and this guy, much of the industry has been as rankled and thoroughly frustrated as the young Prince must have been. They simply cannot, no matter how hard they've pushed, get this guy to fit into any of their available moulds. Maybe they should do what the older Prince eventually did to that game and create an entirely
new mould such that every piece, no matter how different, could coexist with every other piece; then label these colourful, abstract pieces "Paisley" and create a "Park" where they can roam freely. Understanding this metaphor is the key to understanding this man's music, his vision, and his life. It also is probably a perspective that is needed more than for any other release of his career, since "Crystal Ball" spans some 14 years of this guy's artistic vision, and not surprisingly, therefore, is the
Mount McKinley of Diversity.
THE MUSICAL FLEA MARKET
Listening to "Crystal Ball" is a lot like going through the offerings at a flea market; you'll find all kinds of treasures, oddities and replicas in the mix, few of which on the surface will appear to belong together. And just like "Crystal Ball," you won't be able to label your findings, there will be no discernible theme in the mix, and to be quite honest, you won't even be sure how some of that stuff got into your shopping basket in the first place. But will such things matter as your drive home, treasures filling every bit of free space in your car? Not likely, because you're not thinking about whether this stuff belongs together or why someone threw out some of these treasures, you're dreaming about how all these seemingly dissimilar items will all come together to make your house and yard gleam with personality and pizzazz! That's "Crystal Ball" in nutshell; in the mix you'll find a pink flamingo and classic painting, a purple ceramic elephant nestled up against a box of marbles and old LP, a table that's been refinished, a clock, a cookie jar, a set of dishes and shiny red wagon. And to be quite honest, you can hardly wait to get home to try all this stuff out! With that image tucked firmly in your brain, let's start exploring the diverse set of musical findings "Crystal Ball" has to offer over it's 3 discs and 30 songs, and see if we can't find a perfect place in our musical library to place each, such that, much like our flea market findings, they come together to brighten the whole library. If anything has been missing from the Artist's music of late, it's hard and nasty funk. The kind of funk that makes Clinton Crawl and James Brown get up on his "Good Foot." With the release of "Crystal Ball" we find out what those who buy bootlegs have known for years: He's got plenty of this type of funk, he's just been keeping most of it to himself; much like a squirrel hordes it's best nuts for the winter. Funk nugget number one is "Hide the Bone," a nasty, in-your-face funk workout delivered hard and tight by the members of the old NPG. Make no mistake, this track is not about clever verbiage or hidden deeper meanings. This track is only about one thing; getting you off your butt and making you move to the power of an extremely funky groove! This song should be all the convincing you need as to the influence George Clinton and the Parliament/Funkadelic sound have had on the Artist. This one could very easily hold its own with either of these groups' best stuff. However, he should have taken his own advice at the end when he says "Don't stop the groove" to his band, because this is one of those funk tracks that could have gone on for twice as long and would not have been the least bit self-indulgent. Fortunately there is some extended funk to be found here in "Days of Wild" and "Cloreen Bacon Skin;" two tracks that weigh in at long (nearly 10 minutes) and longest (over 15). "Race cars burn rubber in my pants" is perhaps the best way to describe what the funk of "Days of Wild" will do to your body and your soul. Without a doubt the Artist's most famous unreleased track of the 90s, and more than likely the most played song at aftershows and late-night Paisley Park jams over the last several years. This track was originally intended to be released on the "Gold Experience," but apparently was pulled shortly before its release due to more record company squabbles. This time, the argument was probably over the explicit nature of the track, or possibly because the Artist wanted to release this track as the lead-off single and Uncle Warner balked. He makes reference to this little episode in his 1996 track "Face Down" when he raps, "Told'em he wanted to sing a song about a black child goin' buck wild/ And they just laughed in
his face/ Talk to your lawyer but you got no case/ What you need to do is keep your place/ Next time you pull a card, it better be an ace, mother ****er." Whether or not "Days of Wild" would have made a good single or not is certainly debatable, but make no mistake, this IS an "ace," and as a matter of fact one of the greatest funk anthems he has ever composed. The version of "Days of Wild" heard here was recorded live at a Paisley Park performance, and true to his perfectionistic ways, contains several overdubs, most of which are found at the end in the crowd chanting sequences. When you're filing your funk, place this one right between "Erotic City" and "She's Always in My Hair," because it's as funky as the former, and rocks as hard as the latter. Lyrically, "Days of Wild" has the Artist lining up against the wall all the fools who represent nothing but ignorance, bigotry, sexism, negativity and hatred. Once he has their captive, collective attention against his Paisley walls, he proceeds to
"school" them on issues such as gangs, drugs, disrespect of women, sexual responsibility, and the power of the intellect over the power of a gun ("I've got a Tech-9 too, and it's called my brain"). He also finds time to take a rather pointed shot, possibly directed at Sinead O'Connor, when he rap/sings, "A woman everyday should be thanked/ Not disrespected, not raped or spanked/ And if a woman ever said I did/ She's a mutha ****in' liar and I'm a set-up kid." Things really get hard-core when you hit "Cloreen Bacon Skin," a track which takes us back to an early 80's studio session for the Time's 1982 "What Time Is It?" album. This bit of studio exploration finds only Morris day and the Artist in the studio playing around with a ferociously funky, popping bass line. Morris is on the drums, while the Artist is working the bass and the sickest of vocals that are part "Bob George" and part Fred Samford. This is a rather magical moment caught on tape, as this is the first time in which the Artist has ever let his fans pull up a stool in the studio and observe the creation process at work. The lyrics are all just ad-libbed right on the spot by the Artist, and consist mostly of ugly jokes directed at his fictional ex-wife, Cloreen, and musical directives aimed at Morris Day on the drums, whom he refers to as Cloreen's brother, Alfred. He has never released anything as raw and funky as "Cloreen Bacon Skin." Hopefully, the vault contains a lot more marvellous moments of studio exploration. Just how many ways can one man chronicle the hip-swivel?! He pushes this concept to its limit with "PoomPoom;" or at least I think he does, as I cannot dream of anyway in which he could get more direct on the subject. The track opens up with the
Artist in what sounds like total agony singing, "What am I gonna do?" As if we didn't know! He then proceeds directly into the chorus (if I can be so bold as to call it that) where he pelts the listener with a rapid-fire set of "poompoom"s, delivered in what could only be described as a voice sounding like the mating call of some exotic bird! It's as if the Artist is a cock in heat, searching and agonizing for a hen. During this very bizarre chanting ritual, you can almost picture him standing up, hands crossed at his back where he is thrusting them upwards with his wrists, head tilted back, kickin' up dirt with his feet, whilst screaming "poompoom" in the hopes of wooing a mate; and girls, wouldn't that be enough to get your feathers in a fluff? Shortly after apparently attracting a potential mate, he asks with lollipop firmly positioned in beak, "Now what's your doctor's name?/ You know what I'm talkin' about./ Let me see your papers." Imagine that, the Birds in heat, yet he still has a level enough head to think about safe sex. Go figure?! This is the Artist at his most fun, just being silly for the sake of silliness. The sex talk continues with "18 and Over" and "Ripopgodazippa." The former quite possibly his best hip-hop track to date; and the latter, certainly his greatest venture to date into reggae; complete with the Jamaican accent. It's hard to beat "Ripopgodazippa" for sheer erotic, contact-lens-fogging pleasure. This excellent funk/reggae fusion track is an outtake from the "Gold Experience" and also appeared briefly in the Movie "Show Girls;" a movie so utterly repulsive it makes "Under the Cherry Moon" look like "Citizen Kane." Fortunately, this track and "319," another one of the Artist's tracks included in this movie, did not make the
soundtrack, thus saving him at least partially when it comes to being associated with this waist of celluloid. Forget all the hype about the new impotency drug Viagra, this song is guaranteed to work every time! And the only side effect is drowsiness, because you won't be getting much sleep! For years the Artist has displayed a rather high sexual IQ, but not until "18 and Over" do we actually get a sneak peek into a few passages of his rather coveted purple sex manual. Lyrically, it's almost like he's taking a stroll through the "Kamasutra," translating the ancient text into his own funky lingo. During this short stroll, we get full and detailed instructions on some sexual positions that you and your partner will have to be experts in yoga to perform, tips on safe sex, talk of the fake orgasm ("In goes the truth and out comes the lies") and, finally, he even touches on the use of electricity in those rather awkward moments when "the johnny's slippin." Musically, this is a great example of how you take
something old, in this case the title-track to his 1994 album "Come," and create something totally new and equally enjoyable. Certainly a far cry from the "whole-song" sampling that's currently dominating the extremely conservative airplay charts in America. In these six funk workouts, he has enough funk to start the careers of a few minor funk outfits. If this stuff is indicative of the funk he's got buried in his back yard, one can only hope that he will find the time to dig them all up. Funk this good
should not be left to mold.
ROPE-A-DOPE IS THE GAME THAT HE PLAYED
Your Honor, as the prosecuting attorney representing Warner Bros. Records, I would like to submit two exhibits into the record: Exhibit A is a CD containing the first four tracks of disc 2 of "Crystal Ball," an album released by the defendant, Prince Rogers Nelson, independently in the year 1998. Exhibit B is an album given to my clients for release in 1996 called "Chaos and Disorder." Both exhibits were produced, arranged, performed and composed by the defendant. Your Honor, if we could just play these two exhibits in the court back-to-back, I'm quite sure that this will prove that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of giving out his weakest material to my client, and keeping the best stuff for himself. My point, your Honor, is not to debate the quality of the material contained on Exhibit B, but to show the incredible contrast in quality between the
tracks on Exhibit A and the tracks on Exhibit B. Your Honor, one last thing, all the tracks on Exhibit A were written in the last few years, and as a result, could have very easily been included on Exhibit B. Play the music and I'll rest my case. I doubt this argument will ever reach the courts, and I don't know if he'll ever admit it or not, but it does seem rather obvious that the Artist was keeping the cream to himself, and giving Warner Bros. mostly crumbs during the final, troubled years of their relationship. However, as prolific as he is, sometimes his crumbs end up being more enjoyable than many artist's four-course meals. Put Disc 2 into your player, put your headphones on, turn the volume to the bleed line (line just below where your ears will bleed), cue to 2:10 of the metallic-blues/rock track "Da Bang" and witness one of the greatest moments in this man's rock history unfold before your ears. Listen to the amazing contrast between the bluesy rock verse, with laid-back, funky-cool vocals,
and the amazing heavy metal glory of the chorus. It's as if he just becomes so overcome with emotion talkin' and thinkin' about "Da Bang," he just explodes, screaming like an absolute banshee in perfect pitch with his wailing, heavy-metal guitar, making it difficult at times to tell one from the other. It's an extremely inspired moment of metal crunch that is every bit as inspired as tracks such as "Bambi" and "Let's Go Crazy." You'd have a real tough time convincing people that the same person heard here,
is the person heard on the hard-core funk of "Cloreen Bacon Skin." If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't believe it myself. That's mad-sick range, folks! A great bluesy rocker follows in "Calhoun Square," a track whose name comes from the shopping centre in the Uptown area of Minneapolis, just across the street from his old NPG store. Not only does this track share the same geography with his 1980 "Dirty Mind" track "Uptown," but lyrically these tracks are almost identical. Both talk of a place where ALL are accepted. A place where color is just a cool descriptor word, not a source of division and hate. A place where no matter how "freaky" you are, "they won't stare." Unfortunately, having been to Calhoun Square to shop many times, I must report, even though it is a rather cool and diverse area, it's far from the idyllic place he talks about .Maybe someday. With "Interactive, the first of these four tracks, we get a very nasty, buzzing, sloppy, funky-rock sound very reminiscent of the "Gold Experience" song "Endorphinmachine," not surprisingly since they were both written around the same time period and "Interactive" was even included on an early version of this album. Listening to the overall sound he creates with these two tracks is a perfect example of how he explores a particular sound or color, then puts it away and moves on to something else. This ability to continue to evolve his sound is one of the most important and amazing parts of his talent. After all, without constant change in his sound, his incredible prolific output would become very boring, very quickly. To put it another way, I'm quite sure he will continue to borrow sounds from the past of other artists, as well as from his own musical past, but in an overall sense, you more than likely will never hear a clone of "Interactive" or "Endorphinmachine." He's been there and he's done that. With the fourth of these rock tracks that open disc 2, we get the very fierce and stripped down "What's My Name?" This track is a very raw rocker whose sound consists of a dominant, killer bass,
synths, small percussive trinkets, and some inspired, angry drumming. This is one of those brilliant songs where the seemingly dissimilar musical ideas come together to form a sound that is quite stunning. It reminds me of his 1987 title track "Sign O' The Times" in the way in which, with very little support, it is able to create a mood that is a perfect setting for the subject matter at hand. In this particular song, the subject at hand is his most open and fierce attack to date on the issue of his name change;
aimed directly at those who cannot seem to get past it. At the end of the track, he turns the whole issue of his name and what he's all about around, asking a series of questions to those who ridicule him, presumably made up of the things he aligns himself with: Diversity, love for one another, peace and God. He then quite abruptly ends the track with an explosion of angered sound and a very direct and succinct, "What's my name?/ What's your name?" These four tracks re-establish the fact that the Artist can rock just as well as he can funk.
POP GOES HIS MELODY AND SWOON GOES HIS BALLADS
The Artist has always had a rather strong knack for weaving a memorable melody that not only contains a huge hook, but stands up to repeated listens and to the test of time. Tracks like "Raspberry Beret" and "Little Red Corvette" are perfect examples. On the surface they seem so repetitive, but they still are enjoyable well over a decade later, and haven't grown the least bit tiring or sound the least bit dated. A perfect example of this can be found on "Crystal Ball" with the beautiful funk/pop
of "Last Heart." This track was written in the mid 80's, yet could be a hit today as easily as it could have been then. This track is made up of a very memorable melody that rides quite beautifully over top of a very prominent, bouncy bass-line, with some beautiful sax work by Eric Leeds.
Listen to the way in which he arranges the sax part, the little guitar fills, and his vocals, and you'll have a real good idea of how he so masterfully takes a very simple pop-oriented song and keeps it interesting to the ear. In the same pop vein, although not quite as good, comes "Acknowledge Me" and "Tomorrow." The first is another "Gold Experience" outtake that is characterised by it's very 90's Minneapolis keyboard driven funk sound that he returned to a bit during this era, and is punctuated with a very nice rap section. Listening to tracks such as this and "18 and Over," you can really hear how his rap style has evolved and improved. "18 and Over," in particular, has a very nice rap style that sounds somewhat reminiscent of Snoop Doggy Dog's style. The second of these pop tracks, "Tomorrow," is an "Emancipation" outtake, and sounds very much like a cousin of "She Spoke to Me," a tune from the Artist's 1996 soundtrack album to the Spike Lee film "Girl 6." Both songs have an R&B foundation, delivered with a great jazzy feel. The horns in fact, are what keep this track from floating into the sea of mediocrity. Curiously enough, this track was given to Tom Joyner's US radio program at the same time he was promoting his new 3-hour opus, "Emancipation." You'd think he would have had his hands pretty full with just promoting that behemoth, but no, he's
showing off something that can't even be purchased. The word "static" is just not in his vocabulary. With the Artist's new found vegan beliefs, milk may no longer do his body good, but love most certainly has, at least when it comes to his ballad work of late. Just check out disc 2 of "Emancipation" and you'll quickly understand he's been bitten by the love bug. Although certainly not in as much abundance as "Emancipation," there are certainly a few love ballad gems tucked away on "Crystal Ball." One
of the most beautiful ballads is "Goodbye," the albums closer, and another "Emancipation" outtake. This one apparently only got bumped from that set after he wrote the amazing anthem "The Holy River."
Listening to this exquisite pop ballad should be evidence enough to refute the silly claims that the Artist has lost his ability to edit himself by releasing 3-hour albums. Little do critics know, when the Artist first started working on the "Emancipation" project he indicated at a Paisley Park party that it would contain some 50 tracks, making it possible then, that the original concept was a 4-sided, rather than a 3-sided pyramid. There are certainly enough outtakes to easily make that happen. Let that fallacy die. He does edit himself, he just starts with a much larger body of work than anyone else. "Goodbye" could just eat up the radio, but without a popular movie, a million dollar video, or hype up the wazoo to promote it, no one is likely to hear this one outside of his hard-core fan base. If "Goodbye" is a great track, than "Crucial" is an exceptional track. This is one of the greatest ballads the Artist has ever written. This song has an excruciatingly beautiful, Temptations-like melody, with a falsetto strong enough "to make an army surrender," as the Artist's croons to his lover at the opening of this track. This song was originally going to be on his 1987 Masterpiece "Sign O' the Times," but was pulled late in the game when he went and composed a little song called "Adore," which is one of, if not the only ballads that could pull off such a feat. A couple of other versions of this great song are floating around on bootlegs, not the least of which is a beautiful sax version that has some fans clamouring he released the wrong one. There in lies one of the main problems with this guy, he does SO many things well that no matter which way he chooses to go, he'll be upsetting somebody. Since this version contains a fantastic 90-second guitar solo, guitar lovers will be in heaven, but sax aficionados will probably cry foul. I say it's a good thing that no one knows all that his vault has to offer, or there might really be cause to be pissed. Who knows, maybe even that rumoured Miles Davis horn version exists and we some day will get that as well. The guitar version here just make sense, because the first four tracks that precede it are all about rock and rock guitar. The Artist surprised a lot of people when he appeared on the "Muppets Tonight" program back in 1996. For those who have actually been LISTENING to the humour in some of his songs it came as no surprise when he not only appeared on this program, but in the minds of several TV critics, he stole the entire show from his furry friends. In this appearance he performed an updated version of his 1987 track "Starfish and Coffee" and debuted a new song, "She Gave Her Angels." This appearance appeared to exist for promotion of his new Children's album "Happy Tears," and both of these songs were said to be on that album, but it was shelved when personal tragedy struck he and his wife. With that project scrapped,
or at least put on hold, "She Gave Her Angels" became available and turned up on "Crystal Ball." The version of "She Gave Her Angels" played on "Muppets Tonight" was a very nice little crooner played by the Artist at a grand piano; but it seemed to lack something and paled a little when put up against "Starfish and Coffee," the other song he played. That was then, this is now. This tune now has a fantastic, soaring guitar solo, nearly as beautiful and powerful as the one he displays in "Purple Rain." This guitar solo and some hard percussion punctuate this track in an amazing way, making for a beautiful 80 second ride to the finish line, and giving it the necessary edge needed to not only add weight to the lyrics, but enough energy to push this song from nice piano number, to fantastic power ballad. A general take on the meaning behind this song would be that it is about someone helping and being there for a loved one who is either dying literally or who is dying in spirit. Digging a little deeper, I wonder if history won't show this track to be about how his now wife, Mayte, helped him get through a very rough period of his life, during the time just before he changed his name. In an interview given at around the time of the release of "Emancipation," the Artist was asked if he was ever suicidal, and he said something to the effect that "while he wouldn't
necessary use that word, he was pretty far gone." Needless to say, regardless of one's interpretation, this is one stunning little song that packs a rather powerful emotional punch.
THE REMIX AND RE-RELEASE EXPERIENCE
It had been widely rumoured around the time of the release of "Emancipation" that the Artist had walked into a record store in NY City, picked up all the bootlegs displaying his name and image, proceeded to place them all in his purple pouch, and then just walked out. If this in fact is how things went down, I would have paid big money to be a fly on the wall during that little episode, if for no other reason than just to see that shopkeeper's reaction. It certainly must have been something like: "Uh, Prince, um, I mean, sir....you can't, well, I mean....cheerio then, thanks for steppin' in!" After all, what could he really do or say? If this did happen, it could go a long way towards explaining how he did his research for this project, since "Crystal Ball" very much has the look of a bootleg with its eclectic mix of songs spanning several years, containing live performances, outtakes, remixes, re-releases, demos, edits and alternate versions. It sure looks like he just put together his own bootleg by mirroring the attributes of actual bootlegs, rather than just putting together a collection of unreleased music from his vaults, like
many fans were hoping. As is certainly understandable, fans imaginations certainly ran wild with the announcement of the first release ever out of one of the most revered vaults in music history. After all, some 400 to 500 songs have been estimated to still be unreleased, of the over 1000 some odd songs he has composed to date. With this much material unreleased, coupled with the fact that people all have their different favorites of the well over 100 unreleased tracks that are only available on bootleg, and you can probably understand why a lot of fans were none to pleased to see 7 tracks show up on "Crystal Ball" which were either remixes of previously released songs or re-releases of songs that had already appeared on official releases. Of course, this anger would almost disappear if fans new that eventually all or most of the vault material would be released. It's the not knowing if you'll ever get your hands on crystal clear copies of this music in your lifetime that creates the biggest problem. As much as I would like to have unreleased material in place of previously released material, I will not let this bias my view of these particular tracks. It's simply too easy, particularly with collections, and most importantly with an artist that has such a huge wealth of unreleased material, to get caught in a game of making your own collection. Playing that game can be fun, but expecting that all your favourite tracks will end up on the release is bound to lead to nothing but disappointment. That's why one of the most important things to keep in mind when reviewing a collection should be to review what was presented on your plate, not what was left in the kitchen. I guarantee you that a song's quality has never changed due to there being another song that could have been included in its place. Front and center in this category of previously released material is a re-mixed version of "Tell Me How You Want 2 be Done," a song that has been released 2 times previously; once as the second part of the song
"Continental" (from his 1992 Symbol album), and the second time as a part of the "Purple Medley" release of 1995. All anger aside about a song already owned twice showing up for a third time, this is a rather infectious dance track, whose remixed version here appears to be just a slightly edited version of the "Purple Medley" version remixed by Kirky J. Also showing up in the category of already released on his own official projects is "Lovesign." This is Shock G's remix of a track that appeared
on his "1-800-NEW-FUNK" album he released in 1994. The original is a fairly nice R&B song, with a nice anti-gun message. Unfortunately, the remixed version here doesn't make things any better, or even offer much of a unique take. This is one of the few tracks on this collection that fails to soar. "Interactive" and "Good Love" are yet two other tracks that have been previously released. The first being a bonus audio track on his CD-Rom game, and the latter was taken from the soundtrack to the 1988
release, "Bright Lights, Big City." Unlike "Tell Me How U Want To Be Done" and "Lovesign," these tracks inclusion is quite welcome, as these are very good songs and certainly deserved a release on one of his official albums. "Interactive," as was previously written, is a sloppy, funky rocker, and "Good Love" is one of the many songs from the aborted Camille project of
1986, where he uses a slightly sped up vocal to make his voice sound more sexually ambiguous. This project was to include tracks such as "Housequake," "If I was your girlfriend" and "Rockhard In a Funky Place." Musically, this song is driven along rather maniacally by a funky-psychedelic pop sound that is just perfect for that jaunt in the jalopy; with the top down of course! In the area of remixes which improved on their originals comes "Get Loose" and "So Dark." Both are remixes taken from his 1994 album "Come." The former being a remix of "Loose" and the latter of "Dark." Not surprisingly the Artists gives these two tracks new names, rather than just referring to them as remixes, because both of these songs improve significantly upon their previously released versions. With "So Dark" he pumps in much needed energy into this song, bringing it to life, while still managing to maintain that feeling of, as he puts it, "being lost in my shadow of pain" after a relationship has ended. With the
original, it was almost so subdued that it would lose the listener, and instead of being an active participate, the track would become mere background music. "Dark" always seemed to me like a great track that was hiding in its shell, and with "So Dark" that shell gets completely blown away. With "Get Loose" it's not life he pumps into the original, but depth. The hard techno/house sound of the original certainly was not lacking in energy, but offered very little of the musical quirks and depth
he is famous for, and that keeps his most repetitive music from getting boring. With the new version, a funky undertone is created that make this a much more enjoyable song, and makes it stand up a whole lot better to repeated listens. In the category of remixes which don't necessarily improve on the original, but which do offer a unique take, comes "P. Control," a remix of his lead track from "The Gold Experience." On "Crystal Ball" we get the club mix version of this song, taken from a
sampler tape handed out to audience members at a Gianni Versace fashion show. While this is probably not a better take than the original, it's certainly more danceable and the vocals on the verse are moved up a little in the mix, making it easier to hear the positive message of female empowerment contained within. He also adds a very neat and humorous touch to the chorus where it sounds like a group of people are singing, "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy, Pussy Control." However, more than likely, that "choir" is made up of his own layered vocals. All things considered, the remix and re-release experience is not all that bad if you can remove your anger of their inclusion over the hundreds of tracks that have never seen the light of an official album.

SCHOOL IS IN.....OL' SKOOL THAT IS!
Sly Stone has always been one of the Artist's main influences, and with "Make Your Mama Happy," he not only pays homage to Sly, but virtually creates a Sly clone; and a very nice clone it is. What makes this track special is the funky instrumental ending and the way in which he arranges the vocals just as if it were a Sly and The Family Stone track. Using only his own voice and that of Susannah Melvoin, he actually creates this entire groups vocal sound. What's really impressive is how well he is able to duplicate Sly's very charming baritone. Just listen to the way (about 55 seconds in) he sings, "All the things that Annie ever wanted to be," and you will be hearing a Sly Stone imitation that is so dead-on that you'll get funk bumps! You might even be able to fool a few Sly experts by telling them this is a track Sly and the Artist composed together back in the 80s. Apparently this track got created in a challenge, much like how his B-side "La, La, La, He, He, Hee" was created. I guess if you want this guy to do something just tell him he can't! "If you got the time, I got the Ride," the Artist sings on a piece of old-school double entendre on the excellent live blues track "The Ride." This song was originally intended to be a part of the Artist's blues-oriented "Undertaker" project that he wanted to release free with a guitar magazine back in 1994; but alas, Uncle
Warner, as usual, put a quick halt to that idea. This is easily one of the Artist's greatest guitar moments thus far released on an official album, and in terms of its underground classic status as a 90s composed track, it's probably only second to "Days Of Wild." Of course for the people who have seen the Artist go off on 5 and 10-minute improvised guitar solos powerful enough to clean the wax out yo' ears at late-night Paisley Park gigs or small clubs, the guitar playing on this track hardly comes as a
surprise, nor is it all that big of a deal. Hopefully he'll release several live albums in the coming years, and the world will find out what many of his fans already do; that his guitar histrionics and virtuoso are on par with some of the greats. Until then, this track and a few other will have to suffice. "Honest Man" first turned up in the opening scene of the Artist's 1986 flick "Under the Cherry Moon." In that movie it was a orchestrated piece with him playing at a grand piano whilst making doe-eyes at some rich female patron. On "Crystal Ball," the Artist turns this song into an a cappella, Stevie Wonder type ballad; complete with the sounds of children playing in the streets of a bustling city, and with professions of a strong man standing up for his responsibilities. This one would fit quite nicely, both in terms of sound and lyrical theme, on Wonder's "Songs In The Key Of Life," an album the Artists has raved about on several occasions, and has referred to as "the type of album other artists gauge
themselves with." It would really be nice to someday get the instrumental version of this song, but for now, this works great on "Crystal Ball" as a segue track; slowing things down from the first 5 guitar dominated and/or rock oriented tracks that preceded it, and preparing the listener for the more soulful and funk oriented material to follow in "Sexual Suicide," "Cloreen Bacon Skin" and "Good Love."

MINNEAPOLIS STYLE FUNK IS SERVED
If there was still one or two folks out there who still weren't aware that the 80s funk outfit The Time was completely the Artists vision and creation, and that even the persona perfected by Morris Day was the Artist's invention, all that should be cleared up with "Movie Star," a track that was originally intended for this group. This is a hilariously stripped-down, synth driven, Minneapolis funkster, that creates that same great visual vibe that tracks such as "Chili Sauce" and "Wild and Loose"
do, where you can't help but picture the action going on as you listen to the music. The action in this case is the Artist playing the role of cocky-braggart movie star, showing up at a club in a limo with a obnoxious attitude and a suit to match. Armed only with his huge ego, the keys to his Mercedes, and some "environmental records," which he claims makes woman horny, but that "only make him want to go to the batroom," he works the club like a pimp, trading barbs with the woman, and generally acting the fool in his search to find some "serious drawers." In the opening of this track, you can hear he has put his 1996 "Jam Of The Year" song playing at the club he is about to visit. A little quirk he also did with the song "Dream Factory" during a club scene on his 1995 NPG album "Exodus."
More synth-driven mid 80s Minneapolis funk can be heard on "Dream Factory." This track originally was to be the title track to a double album the Artist was working on back in 1986. Much like his still unreleased "Old Friends For Sale," this song expresses his hurt and frustrations over losing friends. In this particular case, he expresses rather strong words for a "turncoat" who he sees as turning his back on his friends for a great solo career that the "Dream Factory" has promised. "Dream Factory," of course, being his extremely cynical name for the recording industry, an industry he portrays as being nothing more than a large mass-producing monster that instils false hopes and churns out a lot of unhealthy people who end up losing themselves in a web of alcohol, drugs and sex. Another great track from the Artist's extremely bountiful mid 80s output is "Sexual Suicide." This is a terrific, hard and funky song that is characterised by fantastic horn work by Eric Leeds. In the horn section of this song you can hear the early evolution of his jazz-rock fusion sound he would very shortly explore heavily with both his Madhouse group, and some of the stuff he composed with Eric Leeds for Eric's first solo Album. In the lyrics, he very strongly suggests to his lover that they are so perfectly matched, that if she walks out the door, it would be nothing short of committing "sexual suicide."
COMPLEX AND OVER-THE-TOP
Perhaps it's appropriate and symbolic that we end our musical journey with "Crystal Ball" and "Strays of the World;" two songs that, much like most of the songs on this release, couldn't on the surface seem more ridiculously paired, yet they do have two things in common: Both are complex, episodic arrangements, and both have Claire Fischer orchestration. However, the similarities come to a screeching halt right there, as musically these tracks couldn't be further apart. The title track is a
free-form jazz influenced, rock epic, and is one of the greatest pieces of music the Artist has ever composed, while "Strays of the World" is a very nice, highly produced rock-opera intended for a Broadway musical. The title track is a master stroke; starting out with a long prelude, which is characterised by a thumping bass drum projecting impending doom, and by the
sounds of a steam engine and its whistle signifying young men and women being taken off to fight in yet another war. He builds the music from here, layer upon layer, bringing it to a huge mass of sound, then returning it to almost nothing, then building it up once again to a huge crescendo, only to bring it right back down; creating a chaotic, unpredictable, ever changing sound that perfectly portrays the madness that he sees and feels the world becoming. This is really the ultimate escapism song, as he
portrays himself making passionate love to his "expert lover" while the sounds of the apocalypse can be heard outside. As the song progresses, his love making becomes more and more intense, as he desperately tries to drown out the ever growing sounds of hate and killing advancing ever closer to his bedroom walls. Except for the orchestration, of course, the Artist
plays every instrument in this song, and just listen to the way in which he buries himself in each; jumping maniacally from one to another. It's almost like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and he's doing everything he can to keep his mind completely focused on his music and his lover, as the world outside swirls around him faster and faster, seemingly attacking him in waves. This is an incredible portrait of a human being trying frenetically to maintain his sanity in an ever growing insane world.
It simply doesn't get much better than this! In our final musical step, we visit the over-the-top "Come" outtake "Strays of the World," a song somewhat reminiscent in style to his 1992 rock-opera "Three Chains of Gold." However, "Strays" is probably overall a better example of this style, as it is able to hold the listener much better through the different musical changes, and it contains some fantastic layered vocals that make it seem as though the Artists has a large group of singers backing this sucker, but more than likely it's just him. In the lyrics, he calls out to all the depressed, fearful and lonely "Strays of the world," to "open the door" to love, because "there's a place for you in Love's Kingdom." "Love" being interchangeably used throughout his career with "God." Perhaps appropriate that we end on this track, since this track works very much like an ode to this entire collection. Calling for all of these misfit and previously homeless songs to come together and make this collection shine. "Come now all ye strays of the world, there's a place for you." Yes, indeed, and that place is "Crystal Ball."
CRYSTAL CONCLUSIONS
Amongst its brilliantly eclectic 30 tracks, none of which sound the least bit tired or dated, "Crystal Ball" proves once again that the Artist understands music is not about divisions, barriers, labels or demographics. His music has always been about breaking down walls, not about putting more up or making sure the current ones are maintained; OR, as he puts it in "Calhoun Square," "Walk through veils of many colours/ If you dare/ Jasmine, peach and love for others/ In the air." The one exception in his career to this concept might be "The Black Album," which possibly was created out of criticism he received from folks who said his music was not "black" enough anymore. No one but the Artist probably knows the whole truth on why this album was cancelled at the last minute, but I can't help wondering if the most convincing argument of all, is that although he had nothing against the music itself, it was that he felt he had turned his back on who he was to create it. "Crystal Ball" is a perfect example of the Artist being himself, letting music be all it can be, and flying in the face of the fools who would say his music is not "white" enough to be accepted by the white audience, and not "black" enough to be accepted by the black audience. These people are so in the dark behind their thick walls of division, they don't even understand that's the biggest compliment of the all.
WHAT ARE THESE OTHER DISCS DOING IN MY BALL?
If you purchased your "Ball" through NewFunk, you found two other discs jammed into the slots of your clear-plastic, pill-shaped box. Those discs were the stripped-down, mostly acoustic "The Truth," and the instrumental ballet 'Kamasutra," which he composed for his wife and surprised her with on their wedding day. Those who picked up their copy in a store did not get "Kamasutra." "The Truth" (reviewed separately in Issue #18) is an album he completed in early 1997 and was rumoured as a summer release by EMI America, the same company that distributed "Emancipation." However, shortly after these rumours, EMI America was dissolved, thus making for the change in plans to make "The Truth" a "free" inclusion for those who purchased "Crystal Ball." This is a brilliant album and quite possibly his strongest of the 90s, with the possible exception of "Emancipation." It has the characteristics that almost every great record posses: It gets better with each listen, is addicting, and has at least a half a dozen tracks that are of boxed-set quality. The high points are plenty in the two excellent blues songs of the title track and "Don't Play Me;" the excruciatingly romantic tale found in "Circle of Amour;" the fantastic
marriage of rock and soul in "Animal Planet;" the Spanish-flavoured dance track "Fascination;" and the stunningly beautiful anthemic arrangement and album closer "Welcome To The Dawn." Right now, not very many people even know this album exists, but in years to come this might very well be viewed as the Artist's return to his completely uncompromised self. Every great musical genius should have several albums over their career that are not necessarily all that appreciated at the time of their release, but which later become classics; in "The Truth," he has such an album, much like "Parade" and "Lovesexy." As much as "The Truth" begs for the higher profile of its own release, just the opposite is true of "Kamasutra." He was actually quite smart to release this one very low-profile, as this is his first all-instrumental work, and regardless of its quality, was certainly bound to garner a lot of criticism; particularly from those who like to put boundaries on people. The few critics that have actually heard
"Kamasutra" have already written it off as being "new age" and nothing more than "background music." Firstly, I wouldn't put too much stock in a critic that dismisses an entire genre of music as quickly as yesterday's garbage; and secondly, again, they're NOT LISTENING! Those who actually spent more than 30 minutes listening to this 41-minute piece, will find not only new age, but fully orchestrated neo-classical, jazz-rock fusion, and even the avante garde. There are several high points, but the most moving and memorable are the title piece, which establishes a very nice musical theme that is revisited throughout the entire work; the rather painful "Cutz" where the Artist actually constructs, if you can believe it, a very listenable piece of music with the use of only a pair of scissors, a xylophone, and the powerful bang of a kettledrum and; the brilliant 3-piece section of "Promise Broken," "Barcelona," and "Coincidence or Fate" (the last of which is improperly labelled as "Kamasutra/Overture #8.") This last 3 song stretch, is extremely good, and would stand up quite well with any 3 strong stretch of his career. The entire work certainly does not all match the very high standards of these 5 pieces, but overall it is a very nice instrumental work, which contains many very memorable and emotionally compelling moments, and is certainly worthy of more than being labelled as just "background music." If this is what he is capable of, one can only hope that he will do more instrumental work in the future.
RUB THE BALL AND GLIMPSE THE FUTURE
If the "Crystal Ball" project proved anything, hopefully it proved to the Artist and his associates that there is a huge demand for his vault material, and he will therefore just empty the damn thing over the coming decade. We can only hope that this is the message that was received, because ultimately, this is how he will kill the bootleggers of his music, not by spending millions in court and legal fees fighting businesses and web sites that are stealing his music. Of course, first he must add a few more spigots onto the NewFunk lemonade stand, improve its professionalism, increase its staffing, and make it the smooth running operation that will keep people coming back again and again to fill their cups. Then, and only then, will it be able to handle the 3 releases per year his lawyer said it would when it was up and running at full speed. Right now, unfortunately, it has proven to not even be able to properly handle one album per year. Hopefully things will get straightened out soon, because if they don't, fewer and fewer music thirsty people will be quenching their thirst on his tangy pulp. It's "the music," said the Artist in referring to what he
wanted people to remember about him, in a 1996 interview with Oprah Wimphrey. Perhaps at no point in his career have these words been more important to keep in mind. The business end of things has certainly been rather poor since his new found Indie status, but the music has been consistently brilliant. Even though no new music was released in 1997, there has already been 8 CDs released since November of 1996, and three more are slated for release in the late spring or early summer; that's 11 CDs in less than 2 years. The three newest albums hail the return of the side project, with the release of Chaka Khan's "Come To My House," Larry Graham's "GCS 2000," and the NPG's own "New Power Soul;" all of which are sure to have his funky scent all over them. Looking even further into the future, the Artist has indicated he will be releasing the "ultimate live
album" in 1999, as well as his next studio effort "The Dawn," an album he has referred to as being "too complex" and therefore stating it "won't be ready until 1999." A rather telling statement from an artist who rarely has shown such patience for a project. Many have already written off the Artist's phone ordering business as a failed experiment with the early hints that these next three albums will be distributed to stores. I think that's unlikely. What's more likely is that he will continue to use the phone orders for releases that are mainly for the hard-core fans, and distributors for albums he hopes will find a larger audience. In the end, whether his business tactics will improve, or whether he'll ever return to huge popularity (or even wants to) is question that the mighty "Crystal Ball" can't even predict. Frankly, I wouldn't count out anything when it comes to this guy. He's more unpredictable than an El-Nino dominated weather pattern. However, one thing seems perfectly clear looking over his 20-year career: He'll continue to create because that's who he is, and no amount of bad business, criticism, or lack of popularity can change this fact. It'll always more than likely be a bumpy ride following his manic whims, but surely as he sweats, music will continue to drip all over the floor! The question of the day is: Will you be there to lap it up, or will you swim to the safe shores of predictability?
© BPC '98 The Experience