Prince - PFunk

I absolutely did not bother writing about it when Prince (or someone representing him) tried to stop the Internet from using his likeness, name, or symbol-as-name. Mostly because I like the guy, and I couldn't tell if the whole to-do was even real. Idolator did like Idolator does, so if you're totally in the dark re: the backstory, you should just read about it there.

The denoument, if you will, is Prince giving away^ this 7 minute ripper of a track. As mea culpa? Regardless, it rules.

Prince - PFunk

* Okay, so I can't actually find confirmation on 3121.com (Prince's site) that this song is free to download, but it's HOSTED there, so I'm gonna go ahead and assume it's cool.

Prince - Planet Earth: Much ado about not so much.

If you don't live in the UK and you've been insulated from the hubbub about the release of Prince's Planet Earth as a throw-in "covermount" with the Daily Mail, well, then you might not know that The Artist... is releasing a new record. And you might not have needed to.

Whether or not you recieved it for free with your morning paper, you can now stream Planet Earth in full courtesy of MSN.

The verdict? Anyone who says they love it is kidding themselves or works for Prince. But the man can still shred like nobody else and can still croon with the best of them. It's worth at least one listen, just to catch the few spectacular moments sprinkled in over the less-than-subtle preachiness of the title track and the generally glaring mediocrity of the songwriting throughout. My favorite lines come from the seductive "Mr. Goodnight:"

If your heartbeat goes up a notch or two
There ain't no telling what I might do
But I got a mind full of good intentions
And a mouthful of Raisinets

Free was probably the right price.

Nobody is the boss of Prince

UK record store owners are pissed off at the news (actually it might still be a rumor) that Prince will be giving away his new record for free in the British Daily Mail as a "covermount." This is in addition to his plans to include free copies of Planet Earth with tickets to his upcoming 21-show London residency. The spin on this is that the people at Prince's label (Sony BMG's UK arm) aren't any more psyched about this than the British record retailers. The Guardian has the story, but if you're not a registered member, Idolator has a good summary.

Two points I think are important. The first is a question: Why the hell is Prince still working with a major label? I would argue (and I am) that he could move the same number of records on an indie, and they'd probably give him a lot less grief. Hell, a guy like Prince has the resources to do it all himself, and it seems like he kinda wants to anyway.

Second: The ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association) is all bark and no bite here. Prince doesn't need to sell another CD as long as he lives, and he's clearly not losing any sleep over chart positions. It's no secret to anyone that the live business is where the money's at these days, and Prince's live revenues in particular are through the roof (see here, here).

Regardless of whether or not the ERA thinks Prince owes them anything, he doesn't seem to think he does. They need him a lot more than he needs them, and crying about it isn't going to make it any better.

Prince is too awesome

Since the Idolators posted it, I too have had Prince's take on Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" stuck on repeat. It's amazing. Prince, in case you weren't convinced by the Superbowl or, you know, his entire amazing career, is awesome. Here's one more reason to say so: he totally pwnd She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Game: Blouses.

Everyone from Lefsetz to BrooklynVegan thought Prince was awesome last night, and I have to agree. God, he can wail.

video here: part 1 part 2