AFTER RULING THE 80S, DIAMONDS AND PEARLS PROVED THAT PRINCE COULD BOSS THE 90S, TOO. WITH A MAMMOTH NEW BOXSET OF THE MASTERPIECE LP ON THE WAY, CLASSIC POP ASKED NEW POWER GENERATION, PRINCE’S ENGINEER, PLUS HIS ESTATE’S ARCHIVIST AND NEW OWNER, HOW THE PURPLE ONE CONQUERED HIP-HOP.
JOHN EARLS
Diamonds And Pearls is where the second chapter of Prince’s career begins. He’d had his way for an entire decade, but now he was trying to find his footing.” So says Prince And The New Power Generation drummer Michael Bland of the fallout from Graffiti Bridge.
The psychedelic Graffiti Bridge album and film in 1990 was a fascinating but flawed project, leading critics to seriously question if Prince was a one-decade wonder. However, the subsequent Diamonds And Pearls sold six million copies to become Prince’s second best-selling album, after Purple Rain.
“Diamonds And Pearls showed Prince could always come back,” smiles Bland. “Give Prince the right soldiers and the right team members, he could always win. A lot of people had counted Prince out after Graffiti Bridge, but his next album proved you could never bet against him.”
Prince had debuted New Power Generation as a band name in the film of Graffiti Bridge, with a song of the same title on its soundtrack. But Diamonds And Pearls is where the name became a reality. It made a huge difference.
“Prince went through a dark period around Graffiti Bridge,” remembers Michael Koppelman, the engineer on both albums. Along with NPG guitarist Levi Seacer Jr, Koppelman is the only person to have worked on both records. “Normally, Prince was always made-up, dressed for performance 100% of the time. But on Graffiti Bridge, he was mostly on his own and he’d wear an ugly sweater. For Diamonds And Pearls, he had people back around him. Prince was joking and playing basketball. New Power Generation brought a totally different vibe.”
LIVING FOR THE CITY
In the homecoming preview show for Diamonds And Pearls’ tour, at his own Grand Slam club in Minneapolis in January 1992, Prince announces: “If it ain’t from Minneapolis, it ain’t worth shit.” It’s an ethos front and centre in Diamonds And Pearls. Although the album is generally categorised as ‘Prince goes hip-hop’ it’s more accurate to say that it’s his hometown celebration. Bland, bassist Sonny Thompson, keyboardist Tommy Barbarella, rapper Tony M and dancers Kirk Johnson and Damon Dickson all hailed from Prince’s hometown.
Johnson – who also plays percussion on the album – Dickson and Tony M (full name Tony Mosley) had been in a dance trio, TDK, who competed at the same
