Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Well Researched and Not Tabloid As Reported
Review: *Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince* generated controversy (pun intended) even before its release. The word 'possessed' in itself conjures a negative connotation. Prince's most ardent fans question if Prince has had a 'fall.' There has also been speculation on the author's intent. Was it to write a salacious and tabloid like bio bashing Prince?

Hahn has answered these last two points quite well in my opinion. Before reading the book, I myself wondered how Prince had 'fallen.' Now I realize I felt that way because I am interested in Prince and have paid attention to him all these years. For the fan who left the fold in the late eighties/early nineties never to return, "the fall" may be much more apparent. In the context of commercial viability, Hahn has undeniably proven Prince has taken a fall. Whether he proves that Prince has also fallen musically is highly subjective and debatable.

As far as salaciousness, I found very little offensive. Hahn does get involved in Prince's personal relationships, but doesn't delve as deeply as other biographers might, pretending they're flies on the wall. While he does occasionally make great assumptions on what Prince is specifically feeling, Hahn doesn't try to recreate private conversations no one could possibly be privy to. Hahn uses quotes from those he's interviewed and his own inferences to paint pictures. In that sense, he is totally respectful.

Situations that were already public knowledge are expanded on, but nothing appears here for sake of titilation.

Although this book is written with much care and in-depth analysis, it still falls upon the reader to make an informed decision to take everything with a grain of salt. In particular, the passages about Prince's personal life. When something doesn't have the ring of truth to it, one has to let it go by.

I found Hahn's description of Prince's transformation from that of rebel to man of apparent increasing conservatism quite fascinating. His point that Prince may never continue to grow as a musician because he does not surround himself with people who challenge him is made as saliently as the notion that his fan base will never increase if he limits himself to his NPGMusicClub alone.

Some want their heroes to be flawless. Fans reading should prepare themselves that the tale told is not a pretty one at times. All humans are flawed and Prince is no exception.

Do I get upset when I read accounts of Prince treating people badly? Not particularly. I recognize that there are psychological issues going on underneath. Hahn makes it very clear that control and manipulation cover for Prince's own vulnerabilities and insecurities that he wishes for no one to see, perhaps even himself!

I am of the opinion that no biography can ever truly be definitive without the input of the subject. However, Alex Hahn has done his homework, and admirably so in my opinion. While some die-hard fans and "Prince apologists" will probably find much to be upset about, the fact is, Hahn makes his points incredibly well. I find no appearance of deliberate malice towards Prince in this book.

How will fans react to *Possessed*? Depends on what kind of fan they are. If they are fans that refuse to believe anything negative about their idol, they will hate it. If they are fans that have objectivity, they will probably find it very interesting. I fall into the latter category.

Rating:
Summary: The Early Days
Review: A warning to Prince die-hards: this is not a flattering portrayal of him whatsoever. We all knew he was a mercurial control freak, and that he was essentially a one-man band, but I had no idea to what lengths he would go to alienate people. I also never realized that he had a tendency to not credit others with writing (wait 'till you read about "Kiss").

For me, I bought the book because I wanted the answer to a burning question: why did the Revolution break up? Let's face it, that was his most interesting period, his best band (if not chops-wise, certainly taste-wise) and the departure of Wendy & Lisa seemed to end an era. You'll get the answer here, and it's pretty disturbing. Only one Revolution member parted with Prince on amicable terms--drummer Bobby Z.--and that was when Prince fired him to replace him with Sheila E.

As I've found with most idols, when you look behind the talent, at the person, you most often will be disappointed. As a person, Prince is disappointing. Still, his music endures and there's plenty of fascinating stories here about the creation of his classic albums and singles, not to mention his endless side projects, both good (The Family) and bad (Carmen Electra, Vanity 6, etc.).

The irony of this book is that it ends on a sour note; it was published before his big comeback this year, and as I'm reading it the Rolling Stone arrived yesterday... with Prince on the cover.

It should be retitled The Rise, The Fall, the Return.

A must-read if you're a Prince fan. You'll also find out some amazingly interesting stuff about The Time, the whole Purple Rain phenomena, the diastrous Under the Cherry Moon, and just about everything else--including his self-immolating war with Warner Bros., who actually come out here looking pretty sympathetic.

I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Everything Makes Sense Now...
Review: A warning to Prince die-hards: this is not a flattering portrayal of him whatsoever. We all knew he was a mercurial control freak, and that he was essentially a one-man band, but I had no idea to what lengths he would go to alienate people. I also never realized that he had a tendency to not credit others with writing (wait 'till you read about "Kiss").

For me, I bought the book because I wanted the answer to a burning question: why did the Revolution break up? Let's face it, that was his most interesting period, his best band (if not chops-wise, certainly taste-wise) and the departure of Wendy & Lisa seemed to end an era. You'll get the answer here, and it's pretty disturbing. Only one Revolution member parted with Prince on amicable terms--drummer Bobby Z.--and that was when Prince fired him to replace him with Sheila E.

As I've found with most idols, when you look behind the talent, at the person, you most often will be disappointed. As a person, Prince is disappointing. Still, his music endures and there's plenty of fascinating stories here about the creation of his classic albums and singles, not to mention his endless side projects, both good (The Family) and bad (Carmen Electra, Vanity 6, etc.).

The irony of this book is that it ends on a sour note; it was published before his big comeback this year, and as I'm reading it the Rolling Stone arrived yesterday... with Prince on the cover.

It should be retitled The Rise, The Fall, the Return.

A must-read if you're a Prince fan. You'll also find out some amazingly interesting stuff about The Time, the whole Purple Rain phenomena, the diastrous Under the Cherry Moon, and just about everything else--including his self-immolating war with Warner Bros., who actually come out here looking pretty sympathetic.

I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: hopelessly flawed and extremely boring
Review: After reading Hahn's book-I had the distinct feeling that I had just read an extra long musical review that seemed only to touch gently on the surface of who Prince really is. It seemed that the author based his account solely on what others speculated and guessed. I found the book extremely repetitive and in some cases the other seems to have blindly wavered off the track of the story. The book in any case is not what I expected it to be and was very dull.

Rating:
Summary: The Early Days
Review: After reading original guitarist, Dez Dickerson's newly released book, "My Time With Prince", I was thankful for real first-hand observations and insights into the Purple One's beginning. Without the agenda set forth in "Possessed", Dez shares about the youthful, innocent, and extraordinary path that Prince and bandmates experienced. Legend has it that Dez is the only band member who was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement, allowing him to finally come forth with this rare up-close biography. Very interesting comparison reading.

Rating:
Summary: The Early Days
Review: After reading original guitarist, Dez Dickerson's newly released book, "My Time With Prince", I was thankful for real first-hand observations and insights into the Purple One's beginning. Without the agenda set forth in "Possessed", Dez shares about the youthful, innocent, and extraordinary path that Prince and bandmates experienced. Legend has it that Dez is the only band member who was not required to sign a confidentiality agreement, allowing him to finally come forth with this rare up-close biography. Very interesting comparison reading.

Rating:
Summary: A Look Inside Paisley Park
Review: Although I thought the author had an agenda, I thought this book was an excellent look at Prince. I've been a fan of Prince's since his first album and I thought Alex Hahn's understanding of the artist and descriptions of his music were right on target. It was interesting to see the breadth of Prince's work laid out in chronological order because it really brings to light just how prolific he was. Hahn captures Prince's bewilderment at the changing face of pop, the rise of hip hop and his place in it all. However, Hahn does sort of paint Prince as a little purple tyrant of sorts and from the extensive interviews Hahn did, it seems to be true. All in all, this was a very readable, engaging music bio.

Rating:
Summary: A Look Inside Paisley Park
Review: Although I thought the author had an agenda, I thought this book was an excellent look at Prince. I've been a fan of Prince's since his first album and I thought Alex Hahn's understanding of the artist and descriptions of his music were right on target. It was interesting to see the breadth of Prince's work laid out in chronological order because it really brings to light just how prolific he was. Hahn captures Prince's bewilderment at the changing face of pop, the rise of hip hop and his place in it all. However, Hahn does sort of paint Prince as a little purple tyrant of sorts and from the extensive interviews Hahn did, it seems to be true. All in all, this was a very readable, engaging music bio.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!! This is the one to get for true biography!!
Review: As a hardcore Prince fanatic I was ready to see a halfbaked hatchet job with this book (as other titles have been), but it is EXCELLENT. It is thorough, fact driven, and a pageturner, and NOT a National Enquirer bull**** gossip book. Just for the secrets alone (the mysterious 'Alfred' from Corrine Baconskin for example) it is riviting, but it shows as fact what I have always thought about Prince - that he actually is a true musical prodigy/genius/artist, and with that comes what afflicts most true artists, a self-destructive streak that is evident in the passion they show in their work. It will be a joy to go back and relisten to my library of his cds now that I know the stories behind the songs. From Walt Whitman to Kurt Cobain, true artists often succumb to their artistic muses, and when they cannot mask tribulations with substance abuse (Prince is notoriously anti-drug&anti-drink) they conflict with those around them, which leads to a 'downfall'. Having recently purchased the 'Live at Alladin' DVD, I think it is far too early to put him as 'down and out' however, and I can't wait for the big 'Comeback'.... Alex Hahn has done a masterful job here!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: As another reviewer wrote, if you don't want to see anything negative written about Prince, don't read this book. But again, if you don't pick up and read this well researched and written work, you will truly deprive yourself and miss out on something great. Furthermore, if you really love Prince, you will accept his rough behind the scenes side as well as his stage image. Sure, we want to see our idols as flawless, but realistically, that is not the case. The book takes you on a fantastic journey of highs and lows throughout the artist's personal and business relationships, financial hardships, and his creative triumphs and failures.

There were times during my reading of the book that I actually despised him for his treatment of others, especially those who really cared about and stood by him, but then again, that's his personality, and who am I or anyone else to judge? The scary thing is, I see a lot of myself in him, not musically, but personality wise. I really felt bad after reading about how he lost his child. In fact, that was the most heartbreaking part of the book to me. After finishing the book, I watched "Purple Rain" again for the umpteenth time , and it is strange how my perspective of the film was altered by the bio.

Some of the content will be shocking and downwright offensive, and upon completion of the book, you will either love Prince or hate him. Either way, the fact remains that Prince, no matter what his faults or weaknesses are, is one of the best artistic geniuses of our time and has left a permanent footprint on pop culture. Even his worst detractors give him credit for his abilities. Frankly, I couldn't imagine what life would be like without his music. I now have a newfound respect for Prince, in the sense that he is as human as the rest of us. Get this!