PRINCE AND THE PARADE & SIGN O' THE TIMES ERA STUDIO SESSIONS 1985 AND 1986
DUANE TUDAHL
forward by Elton John
Published by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
728 pages
Published June 10, 2021 Nearly four years ago, when I finished reading Author Duane Tudahl's exquisitely compiled, meticulously researched, exceedingly well written masterwork Prince and the Purple Rain Studio Sessions 1983 and 1984 (published 2017), I knew that, without question, I had completed reading the finest written work devoted to exploring and examining the life, art and artistry of the artist forever known as PRINCE.
Yes, just as that title announces, the reader is indeed only given access to the time period of January 1983 through December 1984, but oh what happened during those almost two full years in Prince's life! Tudahl, through his exhaustive work, delivered a tome that far extended itself--and in fact, transcended itself--from its journal/day-by-day logbook into a full portrait of a uniquely talented and endlessly creative individual on the rise from cult artist to pop superstar and the intensified, self-imposed work ethic placed upon himself in order to achieve his dreams as well as a dissertation upon the nature of art and the inspiration and creativity involved in order to realize said art.
And to think, that book was only Volume One!
With the arrival of Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986, Duane Tudahl has far outdone himself. This second volume in his planned series is the rare sequel that outdoes the original as it takes what came before as its base and then further extends, expands, and deepens its narrative, emerging with another meticulously researched and exquisitely written work but also one that was surprisingly emotional, one where I often found myself with tears welling behind my eyes, and my heart aching due to the sequence of events and the impact placed upon all principals involved, most notably the artist himself.
And as always, what music was created...the music!!!!
As with the first volume, Duane Tudahl continues to adhere to the same structure as before: a journal/day-by-day logbook covering the time period between January 1985, when Prince and the Revolution were ensconced in the Purple Rain concert tour, and December 1986, a few months before the release of the "Sign O' The Times" album (released March 30, 1987) and then supported by an entirely new band featuring Sheila E. as his formidable drummer.
Again, and especially as I was a teenager during the period when these albums were originally released, reading this diary format of Prince's day to day activities is beyond astonishing. It is not even just about his untouchable work ethic, relentless drive and unending inspiration and creativity. It is truly this unfathomable ability to seemingly stretch the limits of time itself as he was compulsively recording nearly daily, often all by himself.
This was the period during which he composed, produced, arranged and performed (to varying degrees), and often released, a mountain's worth of material, which included, but was not limited to the (then) just about to be released Prince and the Revolution album "Around The World In A Day" (released April 22, 1985), the (then) upcoming "Parade" (released March 31, 1986), and all of the various configurations of what would ultimately become "Sign O' The Times," including the aborted projects, the double album "Dream Factory" and his hoped for magnum opus, the triple album of "Crystal Ball."
This would be more than enough for any musical artist to involve themselves with, but as we all know by now, Prince was no ordinary musical artist. In addition to the material released under his own name and musical identity, this was also the period during which Prince involved himself or fully oversaw eponymously titled albums by Madhouse, Jill Jones, Mazarati, Sheila E., including her ornate second solo album "Romance 1600" (released August 26, 1985) featuring the transcendent 12 minute "A Love Bizarre" and most notably, the one and only album The Family (released August 19, 1985), which featured the original version of "Nothing Compares 2 U."
And even then, this was the same period of time that produced a collection of B-side singles, the enormous amount of unreleased material that was rapidly populating his ever growing and increasingly mythical Vault and somehow, he also continued to manipulated time evermore to perform live concerts, create his Paisley Park record label, begin the eventual construction of his dream studio of the same name, and to finally conceive, direct and star in his second motion picture, the Parisian set, 1930's comedy inspired "Under The Cherry Moon" (1986).
There are still only 24 hours within one day, seven days a week and twelve months to a year and Duane Tudahl details each and every one in the day in the life of Prince through studio logs, and the inclusion of extensive interviews, both archived and newly conducted for this book, with nearly every principal participant during this phase of Prince's career, including words from the man himself. In doing so, we are gifted with a release that inspires yet another reason to return to the music itself, as the dialogue and events surrounding the genesis of every song and album affords us the change to hear the music as if anew, now that we have been given a greater context to the origins.
That, in and of itself, would already made this book an excellent resource. What makes Tudahl's book as vital as it is indispensable is how the work operates on multi-levels, therefore delivering even more than we, as fans, may ever hope for.
For as singular an artist as Prince was, and for all that he did do alone, Tudahl's book makes great pains to showcase how Prince was never entirely alone and was in actuality, surrounded by a superior team of individuals who all contributed their crucial parts in order for him to fully realize his visions. If anything, the book is a tribute and testament to figures including Producer David Z., Engineer Susan Rogers, saxophonist Eric Leeds, composer Claire Fischer, singer Jill Jones and unquestionably, Revolution bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman plus Wendy's twin sister and Prince's fiancée, Susannah Melvoin, all of whom ensured that Prince's trajectory from cult artist to pop superstar to artist for the ages occurred at all, whether he wished to admit to that fact or not, especially as all the while, he was building his mythology as a singular force of nature dream weaver.
This aspect of Prince's life extends to Tudahl's book as he has indeed created a psychological portrait of this intensely restless creative individual, this equally intensely private person who willingly created a wall of isolation in order to focus solely upon his art as a means to communicate with the world, obsessively recording daily, transcribing his life into music.
Over and again, we hear stories from his collaborators of his tireless work ethic and seemingly impossible demands, which were often as frustrating as they were inspiring to life altering. We still hear the now familiar epiphanies extolling how Prince never required anything of others that he would not place upon himself, and in doing so, he pulled a level of performances from them they never thought possible, therefore revealing to themselves the fullness of their respective potentials.
That being said, there are a the copious juxtapositions when existing within Prince's orbit, as one would be forced to deal with and navigate a variety of his personalities. Generous and stifling, jovial and uncommunicative, lavishly adoring and cruelly dismissive plus even more were always on the table and Tudahl's book presents it all--yet, not in a lascivious, exploitative fashion. Purely journalistic and one that allows us a wider canvas in which to view this artists during a time period which would prove to be exceptionally turbulent.
How did it feel to be a member of The Revolution and therefore witness how Prince, Wendy and Lisa essentially became a band within the band? How did it feel to be a member of The Revolution and suddenly see their ranks expand to 12 members once Prince's collaborations with Sheila E. continued to blossom? How did it feel to exist in a constant cycle of rehearsal, recording and performance with songs at the top of the charts and a smash hit movie at the box office and still not personally seeing the more than deserved financial compensations for oneself? How did it feel to be within a relationship with Prince that was professional and romantic, resulting in promises made for a collaborative album but be put off and re-prioritized over and again?
Again, Tudahl has created works exceedingly well as a psychological portrait in which the threads from Prince's difficult upbringing can easily be found within his adult relationships, both personal and professional and especially when the lines become blurred and newfound global fame, monetary riches and voluminous pressures are added into the mix. To be able to create at Prince's masterful level is one thing but to view that reality through the prism that he had amassed a one-man industry which now held the lives, finances and security in the balance over those who worked with and for him--and still within his late 20's at that--must have felt to be near impossible, making his more controversial behaviors understandable even as they are painful to even emotionally abusive.
Even further, there were points when I wondered if perhaps Prince may have existed within the high functioning area upon the autism spectrum due to his ability of utilizing music as his most effective form of communication where standard interpersonal cues so often failed him. And that, actually leads me to the next level that Duane Tudahl so expertly presented in this volume.
As much as Tudahl's book is about success, it is also a book about failure. After all of the success of the "Purple Rain" period, this specific time period is one of artistic transition, and turbulent change, often resulting in hardships that Prince did not anticipate. Subsequent singles did not chart as highly, critical and fan responses to his rapid stylistic changes were not always embraced, "Under The Cherry Moon" was a critical and commercial let down, his vision of a triple album masterpiece was rejected and forced to be reconfigured, tenuous relationships became increasingly fractured, his engagement to Susannah Melvoin ended and The Revolution was disbanded.
All of this material is given equal weight to the music that was created and deservedly so, for there were real human lives and feelings at the core and Tudahl's recognition of these people and their feelings, especially for individuals that felt to be so indestructible, gave the book a powerful sense of empathy and humanity, that was bracing, urgent and even sorrowful to read. But even then, Tudahl is not finished as the book, as much as it is about failure, it is a book about perseverance. Because from every setback, we see how Prince re-grouped, placed one foot in front of the other and continued to move forwards.
Duane Tudahl's Prince and the Parade & Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986 is a staggering, and again, essential work for anyone who has ever loved, or has even been curious about Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson. Filled with anecdotal riches and bottomless integrity, it is continuously illuminating as it is compulsively readable, making me anxious for whatever arrives in the third volume, while also inviting me to read it all over again.
And as for Duane Tudahl, this is a massive undertaking in which he has proven to be the absolute BEST person for the job, making himself a literary/scholar contemporary of author/historian Mark Lewinsohn's legendary work chronicling The Beatles.
As a lifetime Prince fan, I wish to reach out and shake Tudahl's hand and personally thank him for committing himself to ensuring the life, art and artistry of Prince is commemorated and preserved so highly and brilliantly.
