This unreleased video from 1995 shows Prince playing one of his earliest songs, “Bambi.” After getting a few vocals out of the way, Prince starts putting on a guitar clinic, using every technique many guitarists spend years trying to master.
During the Super Bowl halftime show in 2007, Prince nonchalantly ripped out multiple frenetic solos while playing the “Purple Rain” highlight song, “Let’s Go Crazy.” Before an audience of hundreds of millions, in the middle of a thunderstorm, he doesn’t miss a beat or lose his onstage poise for a second.
Maybe it’s a little bit too far fetched to say that Prince is Jimi Hendrix reincarnated. But it’s easy to believe after listening to him use Hendrix’s string-bending techniques in “She’s Always In My Hair.”
Few fan videos of Prince’s songs remain on YouTube, but this guest appearance with Stevie Wonder shows Prince’s genre versatility. He slides into Stevie’s R&B style easily, breaking into a bluesy solo at 6:30.
But while he can adjust to songs, Prince can also transform them into something new. Take this fan video of him performing with Cee Lo Green, for example. His collab performance of “Crazy” replaces the original song’s thumping dance beat with smooth jazz and Santana-esque guitar melodies.
Since Prince’s death, the view count on his collaboration performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” has skyrocketed, and for good reason. Prince’s solo transforms the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to George Harrison from a nice little number into a transcendent masterpiece.
