It’s unquestionable that Prince was a musician beyond compare. There’s not many instruments that Prince couldn’t play expertly and, when it came to performance, few could equal his stagecraft. But, while it might look like Prince was effortlessly exhibiting God-given gifts, his aptitude came from relentless practice and discipline.
Back in 2019, we spoke to Prince’s Revolution keyboard player Lisa Coleman, who recalled how rehearsing with the hyper-focused Prince could be a gruelling challenge…
“They [rehearsals] were very intense. We showed up around 10 in the morning. Sometimes he would already be there, and other times he’d roll in later. And we’d be there all day until nighttime. Sometimes [the band] The Time would come in around 8 o’clock and they’d start rehearsing, but then we’d go to the studio and Prince would be working. It was non-stop.”
Coleman told us how rehearsals with Prince often resembled a spin class or a sweat lodge; “We could play the same groove for a number of hours. I’m not exaggerating. And Prince would work on things and walk in and out of the room saying, ‘Don’t stop! Nobody move!’ So it was a workout. We were like marathon runners.”
But while this might sound dictatorial, the proof of the Prince pudding was in those extraordinary live performances during the Purple Rain and Parade tours – which Lisa remembers vividly.
By the time the band got to the stage, they were tight as tight could be…
“We were just so completely in shape and trained that if Prince decided he wanted to jump to the left, he’d just give us a hand signal and we’d all jump to the left. And every night was different. We had a setlist but even that would change. He was a crazy man. We’d hit a groove and if it was really working and he was in a good mood, that could go on for 20 or 30 minutes with different hand signals and horn punches.
“Then he’d try and stump the band. He’d do this thing where he’d drop a handkerchief and when it hit the ground, we’d have to hit a horn punch. So it was kind of crazy!”
Aside from the intensity of playing live with the Purple One, Lisa also recalled how Prince would approach analogue synths in that period…
“Prince was incredibly bold in the way he would just use a preset and then brighten the f**k out of it! He would turn the filter way up so the sound would cut through the mix. I still have the OB-SX from those days. It’s one of the most simple Oberheims – there are just a few knobs on it, but that was the most quintessential keyboard from that era.”
When it came to songwriting, Prince’s approach varied – sometimes he’d lean on Lisa and Wendy [Melvoin]’s own considerable talents to shape new ideas…
“He was so prolific. One day he would come in and have a whole song written. He would pass out the parts at rehearsal and say, ‘Why don’t you check out this organ part?’ And then he’d go over to Matt’s station and say, ‘Check out this string part.’ But then on other days he’d just come in and say, ‘groove in E!’ He’d ask each one of us, ‘What you got?’
“So, it was a real balance, and I have to say that, back then, The Revolution was one of the only times he opened himself up and really drew from other people’s sound. Wendy’s sound on the guitar, Matt’s style on the synthesizer, etc. And that’s what made Prince and the Revolution what it was.”
Read our full interview with Lisa Coleman here.
