March 12, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
What Had Happened Was: Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin
Keith Murphy
http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2009/03/what_had_happened_was_lis
a_coleman_and_wendy_melvoin/
The Revolution duo on Prince's lost dream
When talking to keyboardist Lisa Coleman and guitarist Wendy Melvoin about
their experiences working with mercurial funk-rock God Prince, the stories
are seemingly endless. So much so, that we couldnt fit the bulk of the
duos interview into our 51 Best Albums That Never Were package, which
highlighted Princes now mythical 1986 unreleased project Dream Factory
(Paisley Park). These days Wendy and Lisathe most celebrated members of the
Purple Ones classic 80s backing band The Revolutionare still making
uncompromising music with the release of the latest album White Flags of
Winter Chimneys (wendyandlisa.com).
As for Prince, the 50-year-old music icon is as prolific as ever. The
superstar is releasing a three-disc CD set, LOtUSFLOW3R, MPLSoUND and third
album from protégé Bria Valente through an exclusive deal with retail chain
Target on March 29. So whats it like recording with a prodigious talent who
can write a song as easy as brushing his teeth as Coleman muses? Read on.
VIBE.com: The Dream Factory album remains one of Prince's most coveted
unreleased works. What do you recall about the start of the studio sessions?
Wendy: When we were working on it, it wasnt called the Dream Factory. It
wasnt that record. The time between Parade and Princes Sign O The Times
was an incredibly prolific time for me, Lisa and Prince together. There were
so many songs that didnt end up on any records that later ended up on Sign
O The Times. At that time I remember Susannah, my sister, was doing a lot
of vocals on that record.
Lisa: There also another record that people refer to called Crystal Ball.
But I remember doing songs that were 15 minutes long and all these different
sections.
Wendy: There was also Roadhouse Garden which was unreleased as part of
that as well.
Lisa: We were traveling and working everyday.
Prince's songwriting prowess has now become legendary. What was it like to
work when an artist who could write a song and record it in one day?
Lisa: Prince, he can write a song a day. I remember that whole time as being
so creative. We were really exploring a lot of things. It was buying new
gear.
Wendy: Lisa and I bought the Fairlight [sampling synthesizer] into the
situation.
Lisa: The Fairlight was just inspiration for a writer like Prince for all
of us. There were flute sounds, wind sounds, voice samples, hand clap
sounds. We would just build these songs around it.
"All My Dreams is arguably the highlight of Dream Factory. You can hear
influences from jazz to 1930's Hollywood musicals within the framework of
that track. This was a pretty ambitious track.
Wendy: It reminded me of classic Kid Creole and The Coconuts. Prince had
this cool sort of personality when he was singing it. One track he sang
through a megaphone and the other track was a clean track and he mixed the
two. And Lisa and I were doing these crazy background vocals.
Lisa: Prince would tell us when we would be doing background vocals, Sing
like you are Betty Davis. If we werent in the studio we would watch old
black and white films and that whole Puttin On The Ritz era.
It was during this time that the Revolution was on tour with Prince for the
Hit & Run tour. How were you guys able to keep the frantic pace of touring
and the marathon recording sessions Prince was known for?
Lisa: You know I got to say we were not doing drugs (laughs). If we had, it
would have been bad.
Wendy: I save my wine consumption for now, as an older dame.
"Visions" seemed to be a huge curve pitch for Prince. How did he approach
you (Lisa) about creating a short avant-garde jazz piano instrumental?
Lisa: Prince had being thinking of ideas of doing piano interludes on a
record. He had just got a new grand piano in his house. His studio was
downstairs in this basement. It was all improvisational. I played it once
and thats what that is. I havent played it since. We were just testing out
the set up. Susan Rogers recorded it and miked the piano. He didnt even
have any inputs that day. We were just running a cable from upstairs
(laughs). We were just testing out the gear. Prince wasnt there. He just
asked us to do some thing. He said, Make them two and half minute pieces.
So I recorded a few and thats what Visions is.
Then there's Witness 4 The Prosecution." There's a very hard rocking vibe
to that track, but Prince being Prince also decided to add a gospel feel to
it.
Lisa: That was good stuff. That was a moment when we were all in a room and
Prince pressed play and just said, Do you like it? [laughs] I do remember
being in the room singing those background vocals and getting up really
high, trying to work that vibrato. [laughs]
Can you shed light into the track Strange Relationship," a song Prince had
recorded and given to you to finish?
Wendy: We got a master tape that had Princes vocals, piano and drums. He
said, Take it and finish it. So Lisa and I went back to Los Angeles and
created the other parts to it. The sitar sound came from a sample from the
Fairlight.
How did you feel when you heard "Strange Relationship" on Prince's landmark
'87 work Sign O The Times, stripped of you and Lisa's contributions?
Wendy: Jealous that our name was not on it and that he took us off.
Your relationship with Prince seemed to be the closest out of anyone from
'84 to '86. What do you feel was Prince's motive for letting you and Lisa go
and disbanding the Revolution?
Wendy: That was the relationship he, me, and Lisa had. It became this
triumvirate, a three-headed monster. And that was the main reason why he let
us go. He wanted to express himself completely. We were doing so much work.
Thats the way I rationalize it now. Prince may have other reasons why he
let us go. Hes never really talked about that. But we were led to believe
that he needed to get back his mojo.
Lisa: That was hard. After getting fired I remember two things: The morning
I was blow-drying my hair thinking, Did we just get fired? [laughs] And
then when Sign O The Times came out. We listened to it like, Oh wow...we
are gone. It was like a breakup and seeing your boyfriend with another
girl.
Looking back, what comes to mind thinking about your time with Prince during
one of his most productive periods?
Wendy: That was a creative time for Lisa and I as well. We wanted to show
Prince things he had never heard before. And we are very proud of that.
Your current album White Flags of Winter Chimneys features some of the same
left field, quirky, experimental hallmarks that can be found on the Dream
Factory. Are we going to see a Wendy & Lisa tour anytime soon?
Lisa: We are looking into that now. Even back when we had a big record deal
it was like, We dont have enough money to put you in a room. We might be
in New York in the summertime so we might set up a residency.
Wendy: What would ultimately be cool because we work with so many great
musicians, we have this band called Edith Funker with Questlove, Erykah
badu, Doyal Bram Hall, James Poyser and Jazzy Jeff. We cut songs and we are
trying to finish a record. Quest has been out on the road for about a year
now and Erykah has been out for a year, but what could be great is if we
could all go out as this revue. Thats my goal.
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