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Story Behind Prince's Solo On "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

Posted on 12/18/24 at 9:36 am
Posted by Mizz-SEC
Inbred Huntin' In The SEC
Member since Jun 2013
22209 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 9:36 am
This is good.

Posted by Mizz-SEC
Inbred Huntin' In The SEC
Member since Jun 2013
22209 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 9:36 am to
Posted by Sport Wood
Shreveport
Member since Dec 2006
795 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 11:02 am to
Good find. Not even close to his best guitar work though.
Posted by Big Scrub TX
Member since Dec 2013
38370 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 11:41 am to
quote:

Good find. Not even close to his best guitar work though.
I love the song and can appreciate the solo, but I've always found the worship of it to be completely over the top. It's almost become a proxy for people who don't care/know all that much about guitar playing to have a talking point that let's them pretend that they do.

It's a totally fine solo. I personally think it's out of phase with the song itself.
Posted by Sport Wood
Shreveport
Member since Dec 2006
795 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 12:11 pm to
Those of you who continually say Prince doesn't have the Guitar body of work don't listen to the right stuff. If you would take the time to watch a few of his better solos you would understand all of the love for him as a guitar player. Motherless Child live. Watch just the guitar solo from his Live performance of Play That Funky Music from Inglewood. SHHH performance live from Paris 2011. Tons more but a good start.

LINK
This post was edited on 12/18/24 at 12:15 pm
Posted by Snipe
Member since Nov 2015
15675 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 12:33 pm to
Prince was a weird dude but he was a genius the music industry in both performing and the business side of it.
Posted by Big Scrub TX
Member since Dec 2013
38370 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 1:56 pm to
quote:

Those of you who continually say Prince doesn't have the Guitar body of work don't listen to the right stuff. If you would take the time to watch a few of his better solos you would understand all of the love for him as a guitar player. Motherless Child live. Watch just the guitar solo from his Live performance of Play That Funky Music from Inglewood. SHHH performance live from Paris 2011. Tons more but a good start.

I'm fully aware that he was a phenomenal instrumentalist. I just don't care about him having an extended masturbation session on a classic song that wasn't his.
Posted by carrguitar
Member since Oct 2014
946 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 3:27 pm to
quote:

I love the song and can appreciate the solo, but I've always found the worship of it to be completely over the top. It's almost become a proxy for people who don't care/know all that much about guitar playing to have a talking point that let's them pretend that they do.

It's a totally fine solo. I personally think it's out of phase with the song itself.



Fully agree. It's got a lot of lore around it for whatever reason, but I roll my eyes when I see it consistently being listed as one of the top guitar solos ever. It was good. Prince is great. If anyone else played that solo note-for-his-notes, it doesn't get any recognition. It's just a bluesy wank with a couple of flurries thrown in.

Still love Prince though.
Posted by Big Scrub TX
Member since Dec 2013
38370 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 3:41 pm to
quote:

Prince is great. If anyone else played that solo note-for-his-notes, it doesn't get any recognition. It's just a bluesy wank with a couple of flurries thrown in.
Perfectly stated.
Posted by Mizz-SEC
Inbred Huntin' In The SEC
Member since Jun 2013
22209 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 5:18 pm to
quote:

It's almost become a proxy for people who don't care/know all that much about guitar playing to have a talking point that let's them pretend that they do.

What makes it a great/memorable solo isn't the playing so much as the showmanship ala James Brown.

He put some show into show business.
Posted by TexTigah81
Member since Nov 2013
580 posts
Posted on 12/18/24 at 9:52 pm to
quote:

I just don't care about him having an extended masturbation session on a classic song that wasn't his.

I agree totally. Prince was a fabulous guitarist. But…this was a tribute to Harrison and his beautiful song. In my opinion Prince over did it and tried to make it about him, especially by throwing his guitar off the stage and strutting off. I just think it was a bit too much and a little disrespectful.
Posted by hogcard1964
Alabama
Member since Jan 2017
17347 posts
Posted on 12/19/24 at 11:08 am to
Yea, it's all flash. Doesn't fit the song at all.
Posted by WildFeather
Member since Oct 2015
39 posts
Posted on 12/19/24 at 12:07 pm to
Maybe the other guys on stage also paying tribute to & that actually knew Harrison (Petty, Lynne) thought George would think it was top drawer cool.
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
33931 posts
Posted on 12/19/24 at 1:29 pm to
quote:

Those of you who continually say Prince doesn't have the Guitar body of work don't listen to the right stuff.


You just listed two live performances as justification of his "guitar body of work"

The fact is, Prince's music in general is not guitar-driven music. He does not use the guitar as a heavy tool in his songs, and thus does not get the recognition as a guitar player.

Everyone that knows music, knows he is one of the best. But if you don't show it in your music, it's not a surprise that you are overlooked.

There are lots of great guitarists that didn't play in guitar heavy bands and also don't get the proper recognition.
Posted by Papoo63
Lake Charles, LA
Member since Jan 2022
253 posts
Posted on 12/19/24 at 10:55 pm to
WoW...Prince can play with the best...Have we forgotten his Super Bowl show...
Posted by Big Scrub TX
Member since Dec 2013
38370 posts
Posted on 12/19/24 at 11:27 pm to
quote:

Have we forgotten his Super Bowl show...
Good point. I personally thought that Purple Rain solo at the SB was way better than this one.
Posted by awestruck
Member since Jan 2015
13234 posts
Posted on 12/20/24 at 8:49 pm to
Seen both Prince and this guy live. They both play exceptionally well


.. but i think Mr Grier's the better guitarist.

YMMV

Not to compare.... but Price had showmanship entertainment mastered in a way most performers never will. He had an emotional groove that grabbed a lot of people and it wasn't auto-tuned AI but equally orchestrated. And he fit or defined the place he was born into born and turned (and worked) that into being a star. More than a song and a dance.
This post was edited on 12/23/24 at 8:05 pm
Posted by jdd48
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2012
23417 posts
Posted on 12/23/24 at 6:52 am to
quote:

Fully agree. It's got a lot of lore around it for whatever reason, but I roll my eyes when I see it consistently being listed as one of the top guitar solos ever. It was good. Prince is great. If anyone else played that solo note-for-his-notes, it doesn't get any recognition. It's just a bluesy wank with a couple of flurries thrown in.

Still love Prince though.


Agreed. While it was good, it's something most competent guitarists could play.
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