Plectrumelectrum

Plectrumelectrum is a 2014 collaborative album by Prince and the rock trio 3rdeyegirl, released on NPG Records and distributed by Warner Bros. Records, produced at Paisley Park Studios. The record marked a high-profile reunion between Prince and major-label distribution partners, and it foregrounded guitar-driven rock in contrast to Prince's contemporaneous releases, drawing attention from outlets such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, The New York Times, BBC Music, and Pitchfork. The album's release coincided with a series of performances and promotional appearances involving venues and festivals like T In The Park, London], England, and radio programs including BBC Radio 1.

Etymology and concept

The title Plectrumelectrum combines the terms "plectrum" and "electrum," evoking historical and technical resonances tied to stringed instruments and precious alloys referenced in sources like Oxford English Dictionary and discussions in Music Theory circles. Prince framed the concept publicly during interviews with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 and promotional pieces in Rolling Stone, stating an intention to foreground the electric guitar tradition associated with figures such as Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Eddie Van Halen. The conceptual framing aligned with Prince's ongoing dialogues with institutions like Paisley Park and collaborators tied to labels such as Warner Bros. Records and artists noted by Guitar World.

Composition and instrumentation

Plectrumelectrum centers on an electrified quartet configuration featuring Prince on guitar and vocals, alongside 3rdeyegirl members with roles highlighted in credits distributed by Warner Bros. Records and instrumentation summaries published in Guitar Player and Spin. The core ensemble reflects lineage traced through associations with The Revolution, The New Power Generation, and guitarists documented in Rolling Stone Guitarists lists including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Prince's contemporaries. Arrangements incorporate electric guitar techniques—power chords, riff-centric motifs, and wah-wah textures—described in gear rundowns in Guitar World and studio notes from Paisley Park Studios. Rhythm section interplay draws comparisons to grooves associated with Sly Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic as discussed in analyses appearing in Mojo and NME. Production credits list analog and digital consoles used in sessions at Paisley Park, with mixing and mastering personnel interconnected with engineers who worked on projects for David Bowie, Michael Jackson, and Madonna.

Musical style and influences

Critics situated Plectrumelectrum within a lineage of rock, funk, and pop fusion reaching back to landmark releases cited alongside works by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Prince (The Artist Formerly Known As) era albums, and later crossover records by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lenny Kravitz. Reviewers in The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and Pitchfork highlighted tonal parallels to classic rock guitarists such as Carlos Santana and John Mayer as well as rhythmic echoes of Parliament and Funkadelic. Lyrical themes on the album touch on romantic entreaty and performance swagger, recalling motifs deployed in songs by Prince throughout his catalog and resonating with compositional approaches used by Sly Stone and Prince's peers featured in retrospective pieces in Billboard.

Notable recordings and performances

Singles and live renditions from Plectrumelectrum received coverage in outlets like Billboard, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker, with promotional tracks performed on televised platforms and tours promoted through partnerships with festivals and venues including T In The Park and concert dates at Wembley Arena-adjacent events covered by NME. The album spawned performances by Prince and 3rdeyegirl on programs produced by broadcasters such as BBC Television and radio features on SiriusXM channels, alongside collaborative sets at tribute events referencing artists like Jimi Hendrix and Prince's influences documented by Guitar World. Selected tracks were included in setlists for tours documented in concert databases maintained by Setlist.fm and reviewed in concert features in The Guardian and Los Angeles Times.

Reception and legacy

Plectrumelectrum charted on national listings compiled by organizations such as Billboard and the Official Charts Company, eliciting a range of critical responses aggregated by publications including Metacritic, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and The Guardian. Some commentators praised the record's guitar-forward energy and the visibility it afforded 3rdeyegirl, drawing lineage to seminal acts like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder while others critiqued its brevity and perceived unevenness relative to landmark Prince albums like Purple Rain and 1999 (album). In the wake of Prince's later catalogue reappraisals and retrospectives published by The New York Times and The Washington Post, Plectrumelectrum has been discussed as part of Prince's late-period output alongside Art Official Age and HITnRUN Phase One, and it figures in scholarly and journalistic examinations of Prince's relationship with major labels such as Warner Bros. Records and his ongoing artistic reinventions documented by Rolling Stone and Vogue.

Category:2014 albums Category:Prince albums Category:Albums produced by Prince