Prince and the Linn LM-1
Some musicians are inextricably linked with their favourite instrument – like Hendrix and his Stratocaster or Jeff Mills and his 909 – but there was another, less talked-about but equally intense love affair that was responsible for just as many hit records.
Prince was a true multiinstrumentalist who could turn out virtuoso performances on drums, guitar, piano and just about any other instrument, but when it came to drums, he was deeply loyal to the Linn LM-1, the very first sample-based drum machine, released in 1980.
The LinnDrum, released in 1982, was a far more successful machine in commercial terms (around 5000 LinnDrums were sold, compared to about 500 LM-1s), but the later unit features much less often on Prince records. One possible explanation is that Prince loved to tune his drum hits, and the LM-1 allows every drum sound to be tuned, whereas the LinnDrum only allowed the user to tune the snare, toms and congas.
The sound of the LM-1 is all over The Purple One’s 80s hits, including U Got The Look, Let’s Go Crazy and Kiss. In fact, the distinctive kick sounds on When Doves Cry and The Beautiful Ones are purported to be the product of running the LM-1 through Boss guitar stomp boxes. Similar sounds can be achieved using sample packs if you don’t want to fork out for an original LM-1.