But there are certain ones that I take that are iconic to him, but they're my nod to him. So I'm not foolish enough to try and do certain things I know I'm not capable of doing - I'm not even gonna try. And over the years, turning into a film composer and TV composer, I've honed my craft on many different instruments, and my guitar playing has just gotten better. And my gift as a musician was being able to play rhythm very, very well. I was a musician before, as a young kid - I come from a musical family and I grew up in Los Angeles, my father was part of The Wrecking Crew, I had already been around all of it. But, you know, he hired me because I could. Wendy, as a guitarist yourself, how do you handle his parts? Do you take his parts, or what do you do? And that would get recorded and those kinds of ideas would get laid down, and he would take from some of it - not always, 'cause he had his own vision - but it was that creative process was always happening for him. So we would jam for several hours at rehearsals before even starting to work on a song, to play something from a new album. The enthusiasm was so infectious that we wanted to bring creativity to the table every day as well. Does that carry over in your work today?ĭoctor Fink: It does, but he was so dedicated to his craft that he really did make it fun. I wanted to ask you: He was famously demanding as a taskmaster. I couldn't get enough of it, and still drinking it to this day. I saw it immediately, I had a lot of struggles hanging on, but I drank gallons of the Kool-Aid. Melvoin: I think to speak to your initial question – did we know that there was something special going on? Yeah. I was 19, he was 17, and he was just working on his demo. And then I was just like, "Hey, what's going on?" And then Chris Moon walked in and went, 'You can't talk to Prince!" It's like, "what do you mean I can't talk to Prince?" We were very unfamous together. And you don't get a head turn with Prince, you get the eyes. Cut to: He called everybody in the band and said, "How do you feel about Wendy joining the band?" And then I got a call.īobby Z.: Well, it started with walking by Studio A at Chris Moon's studio and hearing this glorious vocal sound, of his stacked harmonies, and seeing the Afro. Lisa Coleman, the keyboard player in the band - her and I were a couple, and Prince asked me to play "Controversy" with the band at a sound check. I joined properly when he asked me in '82. And I heard on the dance floor, I heard a song and I ran up to the DJ and said, "Who's that girl?" And he looked at me and he went, "What girl?" I said, "The song you're playing right now!" and he said, "That's a guy, his name is Prince, the song is 'Soft and Wet.' " And I, from that moment on, was completely taken by him. I was 13 years old, I was in a club in Los Angeles as an underage delinquent. Wendy Melvoin: I was the last to join the fold and, I think, the final stitch in what he was trying to accomplish in terms of creating the perfect quilt. What got you into it? And did you sense at the time that this was going to be something that would change your lives? You were either all in your teens or just out of your teens, including Prince. So I want to go back to when you all got together. Michel Martin: Thank you all so much for coming in, especially when you're on this demanding tour. Hear their conversation at the audio link, and read an edited transcript below. and keyboard player Matt "Doctor Fink" Fink joined NPR's Michel Martin during The Revolution's stop in Washington, D.C., to talk about the band's history, working through their grief with tour audiences and the unreleased music that remains in Prince's vault at Paisley Park. Guitarist Wendy Melvoin, drummer Bobby Z. But earlier this year, the members of The Revolution announced that they'd reunite for a tour to celebrate Prince's life and the groundbreaking music they made together. Known for its big sound, tight discipline and incredible chemistry, The Revolution made three albums with Prince - Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day and Parade - before breaking up to pursue a range of projects. A critical ingredient in that success was his band at the time: The Revolution. The album and the film won three Grammys and an Oscar, influenced countless musicians and made Prince a superstar. The world is still mourning Prince's death last April, and fans paying tribute often return to one monumental work: Purple Rain. The Revolution, including (from left) Doctor Fink, Wendy Melvoin and Bobby Z., is on a tour this spring paying tribute to Prince.
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