Prince: Chapter and Verse―A Life in Photographs

by Mobeen Azhar

The ultimate pictorial tribute to Prince with personal, firsthand anecdotes from those who grew up with, knew, and worked alongside him.
Prince was a legend of artistry and individuality, a man who lived for his music and positioned himself outside the confines of the recording industry. News of his untimely passing shocked and shattered his millions of fans. Filled with rare and carefully curated photos of Prince from all stages of his career, this visually stunning unofficial music biography tells Prince s story through conversations that journalist (and Prince fanatic) Mobeen Azhar had with the people who knew him best friends, musicians, artists, and members of his inner circle many speaking out about the great artist for the first time. These firsthand accounts paint a more personal picture of Prince than any seen before, and, along with the images, pay homage to the originality, musical genius, glamour, and sex appeal that Prince embodied."

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2016

Reviews

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gotta hand it to Mobeen Azhar: first he got the BBC to pay him for making a documentary about Prince's vault as if that was a revelation, and now a publisher has paid him to recycle some leftovers of that research and a bunch of new stories.

All in all this is a nice collection of photographs (most of them very familiar if you're a fan), coupled with a lot of personal stories that only in some rare cases reveal new information. The design is well-done, etc. etc. etc.

But to me it feels like this is a "pretentious" version of an unfinished memorial magazine, almost as if they'd looked at the material and decided "hey wait, let's get ambitious and make an overpriced coffee table book-like publication out of it."

I cannot imagine this ever getting published if Prince hadn't unexpectedly died earlier this year. And while this doesn't feel like a greedy cash-in -- it is obviously made with lots of respect and love -- it does lack substance.

Certainly not a must-have. But if you're a Prince fan and have some spare cash and you've already bought and read the important biographies (Per Nilsen's, Alex Hahn's,...), this might be a nice addition to your library. Put it on your Christmas wish list.

[Erik Ryberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting snippets about his life. The photographs are the main draw.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever been curious about Prince as an artist, musician, friend, and human, this book will only give you a small glimpse into the larger-than-life figure. Accounts from collaborators, art directors, and band members give us tiny views into the inner workings of Prince's methods and thought patterns behind his success and art direction. It is truly a fascinating read with some amazing photography to match. Prince will continue to touch people with his music and his legacy will live on forever.

[Rem · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If Prince was to leave the world today, he has enough material to release an album for a year for the next hundred year." Pg. 142

[Denise Chojnacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight on the master artist with accompanying photographs.

[Astrid de Beer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk boek voor mijn verzameling, maar of het ook daadwerkelijk wat toevoegd weet ik niet. Daarom maar drie sterren

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the stories as a way to get to know Prince. Nice

[Danielle Mcallister-andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the most beautifully made book ive ever owned. very pleased

[Gabriella Robinson]

It was a comprehensive look into his life. I feel that any Prince fan will enjoy the edition.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome pics and interesting snippets of times and dialogue from Prince's past.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a glimpse into his artistic and creative life.