Prince fans celebrate 25 years of Sign '☮' the Times

Prince fans celebrate 25 years of Sign "☮" the Times

By Lars Larson Wed., Jun. 6 2012 at 10:09 AM

Want some grapes? Prince turns 54 this Thursday. In years past, he would celebrate his birthdays with late-night, invite-only jams at Glam Slam or week-long celebrations at Paisley Park with numerous a-list stars and celebs. But that was many years ago.

Our little funky man says he doesn't celebrate birthdays anymore, as he doesn't agree with age or time since he turned to the book of Jehovah. It must work because he certainly doesn't look 54. Then again, being a vegetarian and dating women 20 years younger than you could also be a key to the fountain of youth. I bet Ponce de León wished he knew how to play roaring guitar solos.

If Prince does throw a party, it's out of town like in Vegas or Los Angeles. He hasn't rocked Chanhassen in at least two years and hasn't played a local club or arena since the 7-7-07 week. So leave it up to his insane fan base to throw parties for him while he's chillaxing around the waters of Lake Susan.

Prince fans will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his classic album Sign "☮" the Times this Friday at the Aloft Hotel WXYZ Bar in Minneapolis.

The event is hosted and promoted by DJ Lenka Paris, who often used to spin at rare Paisley parties years ago and is known throughout the royal fan base. People from all over the country are expected to fly in for this event, as many die-hard fans are frequent fliers. Many were here just a few months ago for the Revolution reunion at First Avenue.

Why celebrate Sign "☮" the Times, you ask? Well to the causal listener, Purple Rain is considered to be Mr. Nelson's finest work. But to the music geeks, musicians and critics many would pick SOTT. If I was stuck on a deserted island and had to choose only one Prince album to rock out with Wilson the volleyball, this would be the record I would choose by far.

Musically, fashionably and subject matter-wise, it was the most experimental he had been in years. Rumored to be under the influence of drugs during the recording of some songs, Prince inserted alter egos, off-beat drum patterns, creative lyrics, and electrifying guitar solos to make this record such a giant winner. He had recently left the Revolution -- although they make appearances on the project with new members Shelia E and Miko Weaver. Prince sounded refreshed, inspired and funky. Originally planned to be a triple album, Warner Bros was spooked by the huge project and cut it down to a double album instead.

Although the album was a critical success, sales numbers were down in the United States. In an effort to bump sales and buzz, they filmed a live concert movie based around the albums' tracks. The movie was considered "the greatest concert movie ever made" but bombed at the box office probably due to Under the Cherry Moon falling out of the sky just a year earlier. But its VHS sales were strong, and it has built a cult following ever since. SOTT posters and merchandise can still fetch huge bucks on eBay.

So the cult continues this Friday in Minneapolis, two rooms will jam out with one showing the movie on loop and the other with Lenka on the tables. If you think you got the look, just don't dress up like a surgeon as Dr. Fink is rumored to make an appearance -- 99 percent chance as he put it -- and party with the peach and black mass. Free music will be available as well as other goodies. Basically, it's just one big party, just like the ole after nights at Paisley Park. Happy Birthday and Anniversary. Game. Blouses.

Sign "☮" the Times 25th Anniversary Party w/ DJ Lenka Paris. Aloft Hotel WXYZ Bar 900 Washington Ave. S. Minneapolis. Doors: 10 p.m., Friday, June 8. 21+, FREE. Donations will be accepted to help fund Sheila E's Elevate Hope Foundation. World Series of Love followed afterwards if you are lucky...

City Pages on Facebook | Gimme Noise on Facebook | Twitter | e-mail us

Tags:

Cat, Chanhassen, Dr Fink, First Avenue, Housequake, Lenka Paris, Miko Weaver, Paisley Park, Prince, Purple Rain, Shelia E, Sign of the Times, U Got the Look, Under the Cherry Moon, Wendy and Lisa

We Recommend

Lars Larson

Porkpie, totally. I was aware of that but we have a limit on words and had to keep it short. I could write about the SOTT album/movie/tour/band/bootlegs for weeks. It was such a fun period in Princes career. Iv'e read the Per Nilson book. Didn't know about Matos, might have to check that out.

Porkpie

Also, Michaelangelo Matos (a former CP writer) has an excellent book that tells the history of this album, for the 33 1/3 series by Continuum Books. http://www.continuumbooks.com/books/detail.aspx?BookId=119899&SearchType=Basic

Porkpie

To be more specific, sales numbers of SOTT were down in the United States because Prince specifically decided NOT to bring his successful European tour back to the US. This was not Warner Bros. decision, it was Prince's, as was the idea of releasing a concert video in place of a tour. Both Per Nilson and Alex Hahn discuss this fact in their excellent biographies of Prince. It always makes me wonder how much bigger this album might have been in America if Prince had followed through with the US tour they'd originally planned...