Prince (October 17, 1986) – “Prince Overt urns the Revolution for New Talents” Feature – Star Tribune.
Jon Bream reports that The Revolution is over, with Prince dismantling the existing line-up as key members Bobby Z, Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin prepare to move in separate directions. The article presents the change as part of Prince's continuing drive towards growth and experimentation rather than remaining tied to an established formula.
Publication: Star Tribune
Publication Date: October 17, 1986
Country: United States
Event Date: October 1986
Published in Jon Bream's Popular Music column, the article opens bluntly:
“The Revolution is over.”
The report states that Prince had overhauled the band himself and that drummer Bobby Z, keyboardist Lisa Coleman and guitarist Wendy Melvoin would be leaving.
Prince's New York-based publicist, Robyn Riggs of the Howard Bloom Organization, was expected to announce their departure. The article reports that a statement would include a quotation from Joni Mitchell, describing Prince as being driven by artistic growth and experimentation rather than formula and hits.
Alan Leeds, identified as head of Prince's business organisation, PRN Productions, explains that Prince was disbanding The Revolution as it had previously existed because the concept had reached its boundaries and the individual members' careers were beginning to move in different directions.
The article outlines what could come next for the departing musicians. Bobby Z was expected to concentrate on songwriting and producing, while Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were planning to record an album together and were reportedly receiving interest from record and film companies.
Bream notes that although Prince's representatives made the departures sound voluntary, the three musicians had actually been dismissed the previous week.
The report adds that a source within Prince's organisation indicated Prince was heading towards a musical direction incompatible with the abilities and personalities of the departing players.
The article concludes this portion by reporting that Prince apparently had two albums in progress, one described as a funky dance record and another as an instrumental jazz-rock fusion project.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
This clipping documents a major change in Prince's musical organisation directly as it was being reported in Minneapolis. Rather than retrospectively describing the end of The Revolution, the article captures the announcement while details about Prince's next band and musical direction were still unclear.
The distinction between the official explanation and Bream's reporting is particularly notable. Prince's representatives described the split in terms of creative growth and members pursuing different interests, while the article separately states that Bobby Z, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman had been dismissed.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: Restructuring of Prince's band and departure of Revolution members
Era: 1986 – Transition from The Revolution
Tone: News-based and analytical
Photography: Illustrated portrait accompanying Jon Bream's Popular Music column
WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS
• Headline: “Prince overturns the Revolution for new talents”
• Report by Jon Bream
• Departure of Bobby Z, Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman
• Comments attributed to Alan Leeds and Robyn Riggs
• Official explanation centred on growth and experimentation
• Report that the three musicians had been dismissed
• Reference to two Prince albums reportedly in development
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Tags: Prince, Prince Scrapbook, Star Tribune, October 1986, The Revolution
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