James Campion, "Revolution: Prince, the Band, the Era" (Backbeat Books, 2025)

Sep 18, 2025

James Campion, a seasoned columnist and author, dives into the world of Prince and The Revolution, exploring their dynamic history. He discusses Prince's formative years and how early musical influences shaped his genre-shifting sound. Campion highlights pivotal moments, like the provocative 'Dirty Mind' album and the band's evolution with innovative technologies. The captivating dynamics within The Revolution show how they embodied Prince's vision, leading to iconic performances and a lasting legacy. It's a vibrant journey through musical mastery and cultural impact.

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INSIGHT

Band Shaped The Solitary Genius

Prince balanced intense solitary studio work with collaborative band rehearsals to shape his sound and stage persona.
James Campion argues the band was essential to Prince becoming the artist known worldwide.

ANECDOTE

Chris Moon Gave Prince A Studio Home

Chris Moon let young Prince sleep in his studio and handed him the keys, giving Prince his first true studio freedom.
That studio experience became Prince's creative north star and launched his early recordings.

ANECDOTE

Loring Park Jam Sessions

The Loring Park sessions captured Prince jamming with Bobby Z and Andre and revealed early versions of future hits.
Campion visited the site and found plaques and local lore that mark its importance to Prince's rise.

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Revolution: Prince, the Band, the Era (Backbeat Books, 2025) is a detailed exploration into the era of Prince's most prolific and groundbreaking music made with considerable inspiration and performed by a unique cadre of musicians he gathered and relentlessly drove to be the sonic, visual, and ideological reflection of his evolving vision. Although being the most self-contained, versatile, and prolific artist of his era, Prince reveled in the band, a multi-racial, intergender unit that acted as both family and loyal acolytes that embodied his ethos, expressed his pathos, and lifted him to rarified heights of pop dominance. This is the story of the genre-shifting, multi-media, trailblazing Prince & the Revolution from their humble inception to their precipitous rise in celebrated hit singles, albums, films, and tours to their controversial and shocking demise.

James Campion is a columnist, essayist, and associate editor for the pop culture magazine The Aquarian Weekly, where he's reported on and interviewed rock stars and reviewed concerts and albums for thirty years. He has also authored three previous books on music: Shout It Out Loud: The Story of KISS's Destroyer and the Making of an American Icon (2015), Accidentally Like a Martyr: The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon (2018), and Take a Sad Song: The Emotional Currency of Hey Jude (2022).

James Campion’s website.

Bradley Morgan is a media arts professional in Chicago and author of U2's The Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America (Backbeat Books, 2021) and Frank Zappa's America (LSU Press, 2025). He manages partnerships on behalf of CHIRP Radio 107.1 FM and is the director of its music film festival. His forthcoming book is U2: Until the End of the World (Gemini Books, October 2025).

Bradley Morgan on Facebook and Bluesky.

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