Major thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for the advanced copy of James Campion’s incredible new book detailing Prince’s most creative period Revolution: Prince, the Band, the Era. I’ve had the opportunity to read a few great books about music this year including Carlin’s Tonight in Jungleland, Beinstock and Beaujour’s Lollapalooza, and Ratliff’s Run the Song, and Campion’s Revolution is among those top music books from this year. I am a Prince fan, but not to the extent of Campion, and reading this book allows those of us who appreciate and loved Prince’s music to go to another level in their fandom, learning more about Prince’s background and formative years, and how he assembled, managed, and eventually cut loose The Revolution, his band of incredible musicians who helped him realize the music from his most creative period in the 1980s. Campion’s book is incredibly detailed and researched, pulling from other books, podcasts, and articles that were published after Prince’s death and the few articles in which Prince participated in during his lifetime. Furthermore, he relies on band members and friends for firsthand accounts of the music’s development and production. This account allows readers to witness Prince’s majesty and creativity in helping to reshape and reconsider popular music as he continually reinvented and explored different genres, sounds, and styles in the 1980s. However, what really shines like diamonds and pearls in this book is Campion’s descriptions of the music, whether it is in the studio or more often on tour for Purple Rain. He has a great way of analyzing the sounds from the different instruments, using onomatopoeia in a stylistic manner that emphasizes the funky and rhythmic sounds of Prince’s best songs. His writing lends itself to the grove, allowing readers to imagine the aural soundscapes Prince was envisioning. I loved reading these descriptions.
Although the book primarily focuses on The Revolution’s time with Prince, Campion makes it clear that this story can only be told by going back to the beginning, letting readers know about Prince’s formative years and how his relationship with his parents helped to shape not only his musical skills, but also some of his most personal and memorable songs (“When Doves Cry”). In fact, Campion reminds readers throughout the book that for Prince, the band is family/family is the band, and this approach to making music collectively with those who are closest to you brings about a new kind of intimacy and bold experimentation and risk taking with the music. However, as Campion details, the tumult of Prince’s relationship with both his parents and his fear of abandonment also repeatedly manifest in some problematic behaviors and interactions with his band members, and it eventually brings about the end of the Revolution. Nevertheless, I loved reading about Prince’s early musical experiences, and how he overcame challenges, whether it was from his record company’s attempts to install a producer for him to work with, his own shyness and fear of rejection, or even hostility and backlash to his music. The first half of this book details the work Prince did to establish himself as an artist who challenged classification and genres to eventually dominate MTV with catchy hits like “1999”, “Controversy”, and “Little Red Corvette” which drew not only from rhythm and blues, but also emerging popular genres like new wave. I didn’t realize how experimental Prince was since some of my first musical awareness of popular music was during Purple Rain’s popularity. I always remembered Prince being a presence on MTV and the radio, but I hadn’t realized how he was frequently trying out drum machines, pairing them with live drums, and incorporating different, new synthesizers to add to his sound. What was also fascinating to learn more about is how he was also constantly working on different groups and other musical projects beyond his own music for The Revolution. I didn’t realize how much he was involved in writing the music and planning out the direction of other acts like Vanity 6, The Family, Mazarati, and The Time. I always knew that he was involved in some ways, but it was fascinating to learn how he was constantly shifting from one band to the other, sometimes performing with them or writing new songs for them.
One of the more fascinating details from the book was how the beloved song “Kiss” came about—and was initially promised to another act Prince was working with. From the interviews in Campion’s book, it sounded like “Kiss” was more of an acoustic, country type song, but after passing the foundations for the song onto a funk act, it was reshaped with a drum machine rhythm and a funky bassline. As the band continued to work on it, Prince ended up taking the song back, and reclaiming it as his own, bringing in his closest collaborators Wendy and Lisa to reshape the song into what most people know as one of his most famous songs. The story highlights part of Prince’s music genius, his ability to simply stop in the middle of another musical project, shift gears to generate a clever song idea. However, it also shows his ability to collaborate, and also his unwillingness to credit others in the process, which also seemed to both lead to his increased success and dominance of the music industry in the 80s and 90s, but also his downfall, as The Revolution seemed to grow tired of continued slights and oversights of recognizing their contributions to the music. Campion’s writing doesn’t force judgement, but like a great journalist, presents the facts and stories from participants to let readers draw their own conclusions about Prince’s creativity and treatment of those around him.
The second half of the book details Prince’s ideas about creating a movie to capture the music of Purple Rain, and how he got Warner Brothers to come along for this wild ride. It’s a fascinating story that shows how, as Campion reminders readers, Prince was always six steps ahead of everyone else, thinking about future projects and planning a way to convey not just the songs, but an entire vision and message. I was amazed at how much involvement he had in all of these projects and the level of detail that he worked on with not just the music, but the stage shows, the scriptwriting, and the shots and direction of these films. Campion also details the tours that followed. I also found the second half beyond Purple Rain to be incredibly interesting. While Prince could have probably replicated the popularity of Purple Rain, he chose to go in another direction, releasing albums that incorporated different sounds, constantly seeking out new sounds, instruments, and ideas. It was really amazing to read about his creative process and how he sought out new collaborators, but also how he really didn’t want to look back and try to recapture past formulas for success. He was constantly pushing forward, exploring and innovating. One of the other aspects of Campion’s close analysis and documentation of this critical time in Prince’s life was exploring all of the unreleased projects that went into the vault and were gradually released after his death. It was amazing to read about how much Prince documented and planned out other albums that were never released in the 80s. It’s pushed my “to listen to” list even further to seek out a lot of these recordings from Prince.
Reaching the end of the book was kind of bittersweet. For one, it was really sad to see the way that Prince pushed The Revolution to record and continually develop new and exciting music and then cut them loose right when he was about to release the seminal Sign o’ the Times. In fact, I was surprised to learn that he cut out recorded contributions from members of The Revolution (although it was fascinating to learn that he removed the bass line from “When Doves Cry”). The last chapter details April 21st, 2016, a day that shocked many music lovers, and how Prince’s untimely death affected members of The Revolution. Although many of them were shocked and dejected, Prince’s death brought The Revolution together to play music again for the first time in like 30 years. I absolutely loved this book. Campion’s writing and researched deepened my love for Prince and made me want to listen to the stuff from the vault that I never knew existed. This book also further reinforced my belief in Prince’s musical and entertainment genius. He was visionary and always looking to challenge people’s notions about music, art, creativity, and popular media. Highly recommended, especially if you are a music fan!

An exploration into the music of Prince, as he formed his band, The Revolution. This is the story of the genre-shifting, multi-media, trailblazing Prince & the Revolution from their humble inception to their precipitous rise in celebrated hit singles, albums, films, and tours to their controversial and shocking demise.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this digital e-arc.*

Revolution by James Campion is a wonderful close look at a brief but career-defining period in Prince's life, as well as the lives of the band members.

I notice reviewers seem to include their experiences seeing Prince as part of their reviews, so I guess I will to, for whatever purpose it serves that I am missing. This tour twice including the New Years show in Dallas (also where I was part of a bunch of contest winners who "met" him backstage), other tours three times, one of them before Purple Rain. There, now that that is out of the way...

This book takes a lot of information that is known, as well as some that come from his own research, and puts it into a concise narrative. This puts isolated comments from scattered interviews and books into context with other people's comments and what was going on at the time. Kinda like the difference between a book that simply lists historical facts or tells a history from one perspective and a good history book that synthesizes all those data points into a coherent history. Many of us have a lot of the data points in this book in our head somewhere but Campion did the work to put them together in relation to each other.

It is hard to imagine what such a meteoric rise would be like, and while this book offers the reader great insight it is still mind-boggling. For any Prince fans who remember that period, this is like a walk down memory lane except you get to peer behind the curtain quite a bit. For Prince fans who weren't around or old enough to really remember this time, you will come to understand how and why he was such a wonderful artist while also being a challenge to work with. If you simply love music history and want to know about this iconic movie/album/tour then you will be richly rewarded.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

When I saw this book, I knew it was a must read. Being a teenager in the 1980s meant I was well aware (and a huge fan) of Prince & the Revolution. They are, in fact, my favorite band of all time. This book was a mixed bag for me.

First, the negatives:
You will need a dictionary to read this book. For some reason, Mr. Campion chooses to use words that are not used in everyday language to get his point across. I love learning new words and have an education degree. So I'm not against challenging a reader. But you should not have to look up so many words.

I feel if you were to ask Mr. Campion what time it is, he would tell you how to build a clock. There are many times, including when talking about instruments used, that he goes into great detail that really isn't necessary. He also tends to be repetitive. There were several times when I would read about a song, or someone connected to Prince, that I would think, "Haven't I already read this?" Sure enough, when I went back, there it was. This is something that maybe should have been addressed by the editor.

Most of the information in this book comes from other people's interviews or books. I would have loved to have heard from the Revolution in this book. Not what someone else found out from them in their book.

The positives:
If you are a fan of Prince (and especially his time with the Revolution), this is a must read. There is so many great details in this book. Although I mentioned it was a collection of facts from other interviews or books, the good news is you don't have to read all those works. It is nicely collected and told as one story here in this book.

The book will draw you in as if you are reading an incredible story. From the humble beginnings, the trauma Prince experienced early in life, to how these things impacted every bit of his life, and every relationship he had.

There are moments when you will laugh. Moments when you will put down the book and run to YouTube to see if there is video footage out there to see what is being described (and many times, there is). There are moments when your heart will be broken. You will want Prince to feel like he belongs. You will want his love for Susannah to last a lifetime. You will want to punch Prince for being inconsiderate. You will want reconciliation between Prince and people that truly loved him. You will definitely be amazed at the talent.

If you aren't a Prince & the Revolution fan, you need to read this book also. It spotlights one of the greatest eras of music and one of its central figures.

Before plunging into the mesmerizing historical context, the book opens with a vivid and evocative account of the Purple Rain tour's electrifying performance in Syracuse, NY, on March 30, 1985. At this point, the band had been on the road for nearly 16 months, cultivating an atmosphere brimming with momentum and intensity that captivated audiences all over the country. I was fortunate enough to experience this tour just over a month after it commenced, and the show was nothing short of a breathtaking spectacle. The Syracuse concert, arguably the zenith of the tour's fervor, showcased an unparalleled display of artistry—a masterclass in live performance that resonates deeply with anyone who witnessed it. The lingering question is: how did the Revolution ascend to such remarkable heights? This inquiry lies at the core of the author's insightful analysis.

In his exploration, Campion offers readers an intricate portrait of Prince, weaving in familiar details that dedicated fans are likely to recognize. However, he skillfully expands the narrative to illuminate the remarkable band members who constituted this legendary lineup. He takes us on a deep dive into the backgrounds of Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, Bobby Z, Gayle Chapman, Matt Fink, Lisa Coleman, Mark Brown, and Wendy Melvoin, painting a rich picture of how each individual's unique influences and contributions intertwined to shape the music of that transformative era. A central theme that emerges is the profound understanding that true "revolution" cannot exist without "evolution," a concept that becomes increasingly vibrant as Campion unfurls his narrative.

The book also delves into the creation of various side projects that sprang from Prince's extraordinary creativity. This includes the enigmatic unreleased album by the Revolution—often referred to as the Rebels—as well as the dynamic and funk-infused band led by Morris Day known as The Time, and the sultry, seductive girl group Vanity 6, among others. Campion adeptly maintains a chronological structure, skillfully guiding readers through the evolving musical landscape that Prince navigated during this critically significant phase of his illustrious career.

For anyone who is a devoted aficionado of Prince, especially during the era when he was buoyed by the Revolution, this book is an absolute must-read! As the title aptly suggests, the focus is on both Prince and his talented band. I must confess that as a lifelong admirer of Prince’s artistic journey—ever since I was entranced by the pulsating beats of “I Wanna Be Your Lover”—the Revolution has always held a special place in my heart as my favorite backing band. Reading about this iconic ensemble, their inception, and the captivating stories that brought them to life is nothing short of enthralling. The author has done a remarkable job of encapsulating the history of this influential band, crafting an outstanding and informative read that resonates with the spirit of their music.

Bloomsbury Academic provided an early galley for review.

Prince is my all-time favorite recording artist (period). How could I not check out Campion's upcoming book on the subject? Also, with an introduction by noted music expert Rob Sheffield, I knew this would be worth the read.

Before diving into the history, the book opens with an in-depth description of the Purple Rain tour performance from Syracuse, NY, on March 30, 1985. By this point, the band had been on the road for nearly 16 months. I saw the tour a little more than a month in of the run, and it was fantastic. The Syracuse show, near the height of the tour, was sheer perfection. How did the Revolution get to that point? That is the focus of the author's analysis.

Campion, of course, gives the reader the details about Prince that all devotees of the artist know. However, he also goes into great details about the rest of this band - telling us who they were, where they came from, and how they came to be part of this fantastic line up of performers. His book gives major props to Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, Bobby Z, Gayle Chapman, Matt Fink, Lisa Coleman, Mark Brown and Wendy Melvoin. I enjoyed reading about the influences each of them brought to the table and how those, in turn, helped to shape aspects of the music of that time. The key component to remember is there cannot be "revolution" with "evolution", and that becomes very apparent as Campion rolls through his narrative.

The book also covers the creation of various side projects that sprang forth from Prince's loins: the Revolution's (as the Rebels) unreleased album, the funk-filled Morris Day lead band the Time, the sexy girl-group Vanity 6 and more. Campion's narrative sticks to a chronological order which shows the changing tides that Prince navigated during this most prominent time in his career.

I very much recommend for both long-time fans as well as the more casual followers.

If you are an avid fan of Prince when his band was the Revolution,, this book is definitely for you!!! As the title says, this book is about Prince and the band. I must admit, as an avid Prince fan from “ I wanna be your lover” until today, The Revolution was my favorite backing band of his. To read about this iconic band, how they came to be and the story of them, is amazing. The author did an outstanding job capturing the history of this band, Outstanding read and very informative. I really enjoyed this book. A must read for any Prince fan as well as any Revolution fan, Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this wonderful book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my thoughts, words or review.