The legendary musician Brian May labelled a “genius”
It’s widely recognised that Prince was a musical prodigy. In his debut album, For You, the musician is credited for an exhaustive list of talents, including “all vocals”, as well as playing instruments like electric and acoustic guitars, bass, bass synth, singing bass, fuzz bass, electric piano, acoustic piano, and the list goes on. Prince’s exceptional musical abilities also caught the attention of Brian May, who once marvelled at the sheer natural talent possessed by the man himself.
Given that he’s also a musical luminary, it makes sense that May would regard Prince so highly. Like May, one of Prince’s most notable attributes was his virtuosity as a guitarist. Some of his best tracks are ones that feature his prowess as a guitarist, including ‘Purple Rain’, ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, and ‘I’m Yours’.
On top of this, Prince’s legacy was rooted in his ability to defy categorisation within a single style or genre. He effortlessly embraced and discarded various musical instruments, seamlessly integrating his diverse skills into his body of work. Consequently, Prince stands as one of the most underappreciated guitarists in music history.
Therefore, when May attended Prince’s The Earth Tour: 21 Nights in London in 2006, needless to say, he was nothing short of astounded. May called the experience akin to watching “a genius at work”, describing the late star as a “rarity” and “work of art”.
He said: “He actually just has to be there, doing what comes naturally to him, and he is endlessly fascinating. In fact, he is so much a part of his own act that I feel he is the embodiment of a paradox – it is as if, when a performer goes to the extreme of awareness of himself as an artist, he becomes, in a way, a thing of which he cannot be aware.”
According to May, what made Prince so entirely endearing is the fact that he managed to be both a performer and a spectacle without the use of any additional stage attire or pyrotechnics. He became, as May put it, “like watching a thunderstorm”. Detailing further, he added: “Within his incredibly unusual stage persona, he produces, as if out of a hat, choreography, vocal gymnastics, sensuality, dazzling keyboard playing, and world-class guitar-playing – all splashed out with an apparently careless bravura, and much of it treading the dangerous line between the planned and the spontaneous.”
As someone who was close to Freddie Mercury, recognising greatness in a frontman and stage performer is a natural feat. For May, Prince shared a lot of characteristics with Mercury that night. Even though May never met the musician, his on-stage persona was enough for him to recognise many of Mercury’s endearing qualities.
A magical rendition of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ also left him mouth agape, as he “did Jimmy Page and Robert Plant all at once, with easy confidence and effortless heaviness, and obviously huge affection, and we all got chills up the spine”.
Adding: “Soon it will be possible for a lucky few to see the Mighty Zeppelin in the same arena, but the place is already echoing with the pre-echo of that moment, thanks to this diminutive Hendrix-James Brown-Stevie Wonder person … a whole spectrum contained in one body”.
