Now It's On

Bootleg Review: Prince "Days Of Soundboard Volume 3: The Facebook Edition"

Free Boot Generation has been responsible for some of the finest Prince releases of the last few years, from stunning soundboard concert and rehearsal recordings to perfect quality studio outtakes. Not every release can be as exciting as "Box O' Chocolates" or "From The Soundboard: 1984 Birthday Show" and this one certainly falls in that category.

"Days Of Soundboard Volume 3: The Facebook Edition" captures all the tracks posted on NPG member Andy Allo's Facebook page of various performances from Prince and the NPG's 2011 tour. They were often posted the day after the show, so Prince must have obviously approved of the practice. So for completists, this is a nice collection of all of the tracks on one CD. And yes, they're all soundboard and in fine quality. Once again, it's not the quality of the release that is in question, Free Boot Generation do a great job as always bringing you the best sound quality possible. Material-wise, there simply isn't much here I'll re-visit.

There is a killer version of "Little Red Corvette" worth your time, taken from a show in Rotterdam. I love the way Prince has re-worked this song, with sexy, slowed down bluesy guitar, and this is a near eight minute version that is by far the best thing on the CD. An over 12 minute jam on "Alphabet St." recorded in Oslo, Norway is worthwhile and "Stratus" is always cool to hear Prince perform, but this is just a snippet that cuts off after a couple minutes.

A near ten minute jam on The Beatles "Come Together" is torturous having to endure the shouting and yapping of the always insufferable Shelby J., as is the NPG Girls cover of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel". It's easy to enjoy the performance of "Hot Thing" here as it comes from Prince's 'sampler set'. Essentially he is just singing over the pre-recorded backing track which he manipulates during this segment of the show. Hilariously, he has the gall to ask the crowd in Sweden where this was recorded, 'Do you like REAL music??' as he plays the music from "Hot Thing" on tape. Only Prince.   

I've never been a big fan of these compilation discs, they serve their purpose, but I grab them for completists sake only. That is my recommendation here, if you simply have to have everything, you can do a lot worse than a collection of live soundboard clips and tracks from one of the best labels out there right now. 

Bootleg Review: Prince "Live In Nice 2010"

Soundboard recordings are always great to have, and there have been plenty of wonderful Prince releases in the last few years that have surfaced. The latest to add to this list comes courtesy of Confusion Records with "Live In Nice 2010", a recording from his 20Ten Tour.

This is not a complete recording, it only captures the first hour of the show. The sound quality is indeed fantastic, the quality of the actual concert is another story. I'm not the biggest fan of Prince's current touring band, they come across to me more like a Prince cover band than a solid musical unit. Yes, I am spoiled by the bands of Prince's past, The Revolution, the Sign o The Times/LoveSexy band and the 93-95 era NPG. The band captured here are among the weakest Prince has toured with and the whole show comes across as way too 'Vegas' for me. Thankfully Prince has since replaced Cora Coleman-Dunham on drums with the far superior John Blackwell and Josh Dunham on bass with Ida Nielsen.

Unfortunately the insufferable Shelby J. is still around and she's here along with Elisa Dease and Liv Warfield on backing vocals. I know Prince had Rosie Gaines for some time, but for some reason the female backing trio is an annoyance on these shows. They can overpower Prince, something that simply shouldn't happen, and they inexplicably get a seven minute rendition of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" that is nothing more than a snooze-fest. They just don't fit with his music as the backing vocalists and Shelby's loud shouting and hyping is completely obnoxious.

There also aren't a lot of surprises in the set. The show opens with an over 11 minute version of "Purple Rain" that is piano heavy before going into big hits like "Let's Go Crazy", "Delirious" and "1999". Frederic Yonnet's harmonica playing is featured at times as well, an odd inclusion to my ears. The versions of Prince's biggest hits are rather run of the mill. They're often truncated and, again, it's tough to shake that 'Vegas act" feeling. They are simply lacking the raw energy and funk that made Prince so great. It's frankly a boring listen. "Shhh" is the highlight here simple because you get to hear Prince shred a little, but the monster drumming of Michael Bland is sorely missed. 

The funkiest stretch starts with "Musicology", runs through a shortened take on "A Love Bizarre" and ends with a seven minute workout on "Controversy", but I'd be lying if I said it was the same level of funk as Prince's best bands were capable of putting out there. This lineup simply can't hang. This disc ends with a Prince/Shelby J. duet on "Nothing Compares 2 U", but the show went on for another ten songs. It's a shame the second half wasn't captured in this sound quality as a number of intriguing songs were performed including "Forever In My Life" and "Dreamer". 

Again, the sound quality is not in question here. This is a fine soundboard recording so it's one you'll want to add to the collection. But it's not one I'll re-visit as I can't get past how badly Prince is coasting at this point of his career, with a rather weak band behind him to boot.

Bootleg Review: Prince "10,000 Wallpaper"

The 1993-95 period was truly Prince's last great run. Set aside the name change, the feud with Warner Bros. and the sideshow that surrounded it and focus on the music and you'll hear an artist re-born, focused and hungry to prove himself yet again. He has not come close to reaching the excellence of this era since. During this time frame, Prince was recording a ton of new music, eschewing his hits to play this new material live, often in smaller clubs or his Paisley Park Studios where a run of shows became legendary amongst fans and collectors.

Although nothing really new to the Prince collecting community, the newly released "10,000 Wallpaper" is a fantastic document of what was going on during this time. This release is sourced from a videotape that was run at both the NPG Store and Glam Slam nightclub promoting Prince's '10,000 Magazine' venture, another in a long line of failed business ventures. But the fans get to reap the benefits of the great music contained here. The videotape is essentially miscellaneous images and computerized graphics set to what was, at the time, new and unreleased Prince music. Nothing exciting to watch, but rip the audio from it and you are left with a must-have listening experience in perfect quality.

There are twelve full songs in all on "10,000 Wallpaper" starting with "Poem" which ended up being used on 1994's "Come" album, but there it was split up as segues in between songs, with the last part of the song tacked on to the end of the album and re-titled "Orgasm". "Poem" leads into the full length version of "Interactive" before the true highlight here, an alternate, unreleased version of "Come" that completely blows away the long, drab version that was released. This contains all the reasons I became a Prince fan. Nasty, funky bass line, filthy lyrics, searing guitar, when he was on top of his game like this, he had no competition.

"Come" segues into the far superior version of "Endorphinmachine". Once again, Prince completely screwed with and ruined a perfect song by overproducing the bejesus out of it for release on 1995's "The Gold Experience". Here it is stripped down raw, one of his best rock tracks and sadly, the general public never got to hear this version. "Space" follows, no different than the released version before an extended version of "Race", again better than the released version as this is almost two minutes longer with an extended ending.

Two monster funk jams follow in "Funky Design" and "Mad". Both were officially released, but only through Prince's NPG Music Club as downloads and both are top notch. An alternate, unreleased version of "Chaos And Disorder" is next. Prince's vocal track is the same, but here Rosie Gaines' vocals had not been added yet and there are, mostly silly, sound effects after practically every lyric. Some were left in the released version but they are way more prominent here. I still think this is an under-rated track, placed on a throwaway album used to fulfill a contractual obligation. Another solid rock number.

One of Prince's most embarrassing musical moments is the only downfall here. "Right The Wrong", as I refer to it, a country show tune, is one of the worst things he has recorded. It's so awful, I can only hope it was done as a joke. Sung in a mock country accent, this turned up on the "Chaos And Disorder" album, but here it is an alternate version, slightly less produced, but still every bit as wretched as the released version. "Strays Of The World" follows, no different from what was released on the "Crystal Ball" compilation, before things come to a close with an alternate version of "Gold". Once again, this is the vocal that was used on the released version, but here Ricky Peterson had not yet added the additional production and keyboard work that appeared on the final version. So you get a more stripped down version of the song, and it still works well. It's simply a great pop/rock anthem that should have been a huge hit, but fell victim to the Prince/Warner Bros. feud and Prince losing interest in "The Gold Experience" after it was finally released.

Just because there is nothing here that has really not been circulating before does not make this any less essential. Everything flows together nicely, "Right The Wrong" the exception, and everything is in perfect sound quality. It's a nice release to have and major thanks, as always, go out to those responsible for sharing this with the collecting community for free, as it should be. If you missed the boat on what Prince was up to during this time period, "10,000 Wallpaper" is a great place to start. 

Bootleg Review: The Revolution "#MyPurpleHeart"

Nearly 28 years after the "Purple Rain" phenomenon swept the world, and a year after drummer Bobby Z suffered a near fatal heart attack, The Revolution reunited at the club immortalized in the movie that made them stars, First Avenue. First and foremost, this concert served as a charity gig, organized by Bobby Z, to bring attention to heart health in light of his scare. A portion of the proceeds went to both Bobby's mypurpleheart.org as well as the American Heart Association.

February 19, 2012 will go down as a monumental night for those lucky enough to be in attendance at this historic show, and now that night can be re-lived for those who were unable to get there thanks to the Akashic Records release "#MyPurpleHeart". Although this is an audience recording, it is very well done. With the technology available today, you truthfully either have to have crappy equipment or not know what you are doing to produce a lousy audience recording these days. The vocals are wonderfully clear, there is good bass response and separation between all the instruments. A very good mix and recording. Yes, there is audience response in the background, but on a well taped show, this actually adds to the charm of the recording. It puts you more 'in the moment' of the show than a soundboard recording. All credit to the taper responsible for allowing this show to live on for the fans.

As for the concert, The Revolution run through material dating back to Prince's "Dirty Mind" album up through their final album with him, 1986's "Parade". In Prince's absence, Wendy Melvoin handles most of the lead vocals and does a good job playing the role of band leader. Greg "G Sharp" Sain, a Minneapolis music scene regular, also helps out on backing and co-lead vocals throughout the show. Joining Wendy, Bobby, Lisa Coleman, Brownmark and Dr. Fink onstage were former Prince guitarist Dez Dickerson and 'Mr. Madhouse' himself, Eric Leeds on saxophone.

The band takes to the stage, fittingly, to Bobby Z banging out the beat to "Controversy" which goes on for over seven minutes. A bit of a surprise, "Do It All Night" is next followed by "Partyup". I like the fact the band did not stick strictly to 'Revolution only' songs, since Bobby, Fink, Dez and Lisa were all there from the early days prior to The Revolution being formed. After "Let's Work" they do the first true Revolution song of the night with "Pop Life"

Wendy announces 'Alright, now it's gonna get hot' as they kick into a charged "America". I always loved Eric Leeds' killer sax work on the live versions of this and he does not disappoint here. "1999" is a highlight as Dez Dickerson gets to sing his lyrics performed on the studio version which gets a big response from the crowd.

As nice as all the nostalgic songs are, the show really kicks into gear at this point with a trio of 'Parade' songs, starting with "Life Can Be So Nice". This was the time when The Revolution, particularly Wendy and Lisa, had the most influence on Prince's music, and these songs truly feel like 'theirs'. The near ten minute version of "Mountains" is the highlight of the night as it turns into an extended jam featuring a sax solo from Leeds, a lovely piano solo from Coleman, and Dr. Fink getting to show his stuff on keyboards, all while Bobby Z and Brownmark hold down a nasty groove. "Anotherloverholenyohead" closes out the triple play of 'Parade' classics. The main set then ends with the finale of the 'Purple Rain' movie,  "Baby I'm A Star".

The encore started with "Let's Go Crazy" before the legendary "Purple Rain". It was at this point that I think a lot of people expected Prince to join the band. There certainly had been speculation all week leading up to the show as Prince was in Minneapolis, and there was plenty of buzz coming from the show about some of his gear being there. But, alas, for reasons only he truly knows, Prince was a no-show on this night. The crowd plays their part signing along throughout the song, it must have been amazing to be there in person for this performance in particular. The night ends with a long 15 minute finale that starts with G-Sharp singing "Uptown" before it morphs into a jam that incorporates "Sexy Dancer" and ends with a reprise back into "Uptown". 

Certainly, as fun and nostalgic as this show is, it is still missing a true front man and we all know his name. Wendy does a fine job, but no one can truly fill Prince's shoes. Keep in mind when listening that the band only got three days to rehearse for this show, so some of the occasional moments of sloppiness or forgotten lyrics can be forgiven. Give them a few weeks of rehearsal, The Revolution would kick the ass of that collection of side musicians Prince currently has backing him. That is the difference between a true 'band' and hired hands. It would be nice if Prince could learn that with the 30 year anniversary of "Purple Rain" quickly approaching. If not, maybe The Revolution can take this show on the road themselves. As Wendy says during the show, they are a sentimental, nostalgic band, and you'll feel the same way after listening to "#MyPurpleHeart". 

Please be sure, if you grab this release, to strongly consider making a donation to mypurpleheart.org 

Bootleg Review: Prince "L.A. Confidential"

Three shows on the same night with three different bands. Only Prince could pull something like that off, and he did just that the night of March 28, 2009 in Los Angeles in celebration of the release of his "Lotusflow3r" CD set. Making the L.A. Live complex his home base on this night, he started out with his current touring band at the time, (as well as a guest appearance by Sheila E.), for a show at the Nokia Theatre that focused on a lot of his funkier hits and some covers. The night then moved to The Conga Room for an incredible, guitar heavy show with the New Power Trio of Prince and old NPG members Sonny Thompson on bass and Michael Bland on drums.

That brings us to the show captured here. The final show of the evening started well after midnight at the Club Nokia. Prince was joined by Rhonda Smith on bass, the incomparable Renato Neto on keyboards and John Blackwell on drums for a mellow set focusing on his more jazzier, laid back material. This show can now be seen as the precursor to his July Montreux Jazz festival appearance, as many of the songs that were played here for the first time live would be incorporated into the setlists at Montreux.

Like the Montreux concerts reviewed here last month, this Club Nokia show has been released as a Pro-Shot DVD and soundboard CD on the "L.A. Confidential" set by Eye Records, and it is a stunner. Prince fans continue to be spoiled with these incredible releases as this is another high quality, must have item. The only letdown is that the other two shows from this night weren't recorded in this fashion that I am aware of. What you get here is the entire set, just over 90 minutes long, professionally filmed and recorded. The CD here is obviously just the soundtrack to the show, although there have been some complaints about the audio mix missing much of the low end. The focus though should be on the true highlight of this set, the Pro-Shot DVD. 

The show kicks off with a couple of instrumentals before Prince takes the stage. The band runs through "Under The Cherry Moon" and "Dreamin' About U" before Prince appears for "When Eye Lay My Hands On U". It's one of the few songs on the night where Prince plays guitar, and it's always a treat to hear this song done live. A couple of major surprises follow as the rarely performed 'Emancipation' outtake "Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart" is next. Prince's version was never released, but the song was recorded by Chaka Khan on her 1998 NPG Records release 'Come 2 My House'. The second half of the over eight minute performance features Prince's best guitar work of the night. A smoothed out version of "The Sun, The Moon And Stars" is yet another rarity in the set. 

Prince leaves the stage for another band instrumental, this time on "Sometimes It Snows In April", before returning for a twelve minute workout on "When The Lights Go Down". He then literally asks for the lights to go down and the crowd to be as silent as possible for a performance of "Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore".  

It must be said at this point, Prince was unhappy with the sound quality throughout the evening. All three shows were marred by technical problems, feedback and poor sound systems. By the time this show was in motion he had enough. During the early part of this set he asked for adjustments to the sound several times. Before the next song, he launched into an epic rant from the stage, directed at AEG who he had been working with for a number of years on his tours, including the massively successful Musicology Tour of 2004. AEG oversees the entire L.A. Live complex and Prince started naming names, specifically calling out AEG Live President and CEO Randy Phillips and AEG's President and CEO Tim Leiweke from the stage in a 90 second public lambasting. 

"Before we play this, Randy Phillips, Tim Leiweke, they run AEG. And, uh, this is their building so the buzzes you hear you can talk to them about it. I'm gonna play through it, I'm gonna do my best. Now feel me, they spent a lot of money on the seats, and the lights are beautiful. But I done told them several times, let's work on that sound. I came to see Alicia Keys here and it was the worst sound I ever heard. But Alicia is a genius, bar none. She is music and she deserves the best, alright? So we're all in this together. So if we fix the sound, I'll be here every night. This is what I do. And I'll do it for free, I won't charge 'em. But now I got to go back to my three million a night!"

Prince then kicks into "She Spoke 2 Me" by shouting sarcastically "It's alright Tim and Randy, we love ya!", then during the performance gets the crowd to chant 'AEG, AEG' over and over. I cannot emphasize enough what a monumental night this then became. AEG made Prince a ton of money helping him make his 3121 shows in Las Vegas and his 21 Nights in London a reality. He planned to do a similar 21 night stand in L.A., but in one onstage rant, he called out the highest executives of the company by name, publicly embarrassed them and burned yet another bridge in the entertainment industry. His relationship with AEG, again a company that made Prince millions of dollars, was over and he blew it up right in front of about 2,500 fans. The fact we now get to see it on video is priceless.  Prince closes the performance of "She Spoke 2 Me" by introducing the band then getting one last shot in at AEG by declaring, "And my name is Randy Phillips. Thank you, goodnight."

Prince and the band return for the first ever live performance of the unreleased "In A Large Room With No Light", before he breaks into that famous guitar line that kicks off "Sweet Thing" and special guest Chaka Khan makes her way to the stage. The performance is just Chaka on vocals and Prince on guitar while the audience helps by singing along. A very cool version that, in some strange way proves Prince's point, by ending in a big burst of feedback from Khan's microphone causing her to voice in agreement, "This ain't no joke! You were not kidding about the sound", as Prince chuckles and shouts, "What?? Told ya! Told ya!" I can't imagine the uncomfortableness in the room for those in attendance but this is gold to watch on video.

The show then ends with four of Prince's finest ballads, truncated versions of "Insatiable" and "Scandalous", a mostly complete run through of "The Beautiful Ones" and the closing "Nothing Compares 2 U". Now make no mistake, as pissed off as Prince obviously was at the sound problems, enough to destroy a relationship with the entertainment behemoth AEG, he does not make the fans suffer over his problems. He is very grateful for their support and still appears to be in a good mood overall, enjoying his band and the music. The band is on fire all night, with Neto especially displaying his mastery of the keyboards during numerous spotlight solos.

With gorgeous packaging to boot, "L.A. Confidential" is a must own set. These professionally filmed shows that are making their way to DVD are an embarrassment of riches for Prince fans and collectors. Here you get a set loaded with rarely performed songs, a Chaka Khan guest appearance and an incredible tongue lashing of the giant AEG. Who else but Prince can deliver this much excitement in one night?          

Bootleg Review: Prince & The Revolution "August 2, 1986 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY"

How fitting that on the same weekend the original line-up of The Revolution (sans Prince) reunited in Minneapolis, a brand new, soundboard recording from 1986, when Prince and The Revolution were at the peak of their powers, was released to the collecting community. Free Boot Generation have freed this previously un-circulating soundboard tape to the world, again providing a tremendous service to the fans, and doing the work Prince refuses to do when it comes to quality archival releases. 

As a warm-up to his upcoming European Parade Tour, Prince took an expanded version of The Revolution on the road in the spring of 1986 for a group of shows that came to be known as the Hit & Run Tour. Prince hit select cities in the U.S. with very little advance notice, often using radio ads to get the word out about ticket sales, resulting in a frenzy that sold out shows in minutes. The concerts were often played in smaller venues but for New York, he decided to do it up big time with two shows at the vaunted Madison Square Garden.  

This recording captures the first night on August 2nd, but it is not without its drawbacks. First, despite it being a soundboard source, there is still a fair amount of hiss and obvious warpage on the master tape. Considering this show is nearly 24 years old, that is no surprise. This is also not the complete concert. The recording of "Anotherloverholenyohead" is cut off and the tape does not continue until the very ending of "Pop Life", meaning the performances of "Soft And Wet", "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Head" are not included here. Also, this recording ends after "America" meaning the last five songs performed on the evening are also not here. So if you are looking for a complete show there will be some disappointment, but again the fact this is a soundboard recording is the selling point here that still makes this a must have.

As for what is contained, this is a fairly standard 'Parade' era show. Prince had expanded The Revolution to include, amongst others, saxophone extraordinaire Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss on trumpet, so there is a strong emphasis on horns playing what were formerly keyboard lines, as well as extended solos by Leeds throughout. This show was much more of a soul and funk review, with Prince rarely on guitar thanks to the addition of Miko Weaver to the band. Despite the fact this hour long CD has 20 tracks, many of the songs were brief snippets of classics like "D.M.S.R.", "Automatic" and "Delirious" that Prince would have the band touch on then move on to something else. Very few songs are performed in full, often maybe a verse then moving on to the end, giving the whole show the feel of one long funk workout. 

There is no denying The Revolution were a funky force by this point and that is best exemplified when they are given time to stretch out and jam. As often was the case during these shows, The Family's "Mutiny" turns into an extended nine minute jam session, with Prince incorporating some of "Ice Cream Castles" by The Time, albeit with a revised chant of 'We are young, we're not old and we are funky!", along with chants of 'The roof is on fire'. The closing "America" is another highlight as Prince and The Revolution go for nearly twelve minutes, including Prince getting behind the drum set for a killer drum solo. It's also one of the few songs here where Prince is on guitar and it provides a huge burst of energy to close out the CD.

As always, one of the charms of hearing live shows, even when the set is fairly standard, is catching off the cuff comments made onstage. Especially when you've heard multiple shows from the same tour, it is these moments that can make a particular show stand-out from the rest. Here, Prince gets candid during the intro to "Do Me, Baby", sharing the following with the 20,000 in attendance. "New York. Let me just take a moment...let me just take a moment. First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming out this evening. Listen, I got something I wanna tell you. When I was 17 years old, I ran away from Uptown and I came to New York City looking to be a big star. Check it out. My sister had to work so uh, she left me with one of her boyfriends, his name was Bill. So Bill said, 'Prince check it out, I want to take you over one of my other girlfriends house.'  I said 'ok'. On the way we went through the subway and uh, we stopped through here and he said, 'This is where the Knicks play basketball and this is where all the big stars come. Maybe one day, you'll make it.' Now I know that's kind of corny but I just had to say that because I've been trying to get here for a long time. I really love all y'all, thanks for coming out, I swear to God, from me to you." It's a really cool moment, especially considering how out of touch and incapable the Prince of today seems to be at displaying sentiment.

The verdict on this one is easy. Yes, it would be wonderful to have this in complete form in this kind of quality, but I'm not going to turn up my nose at new soundboard recordings. It is still an essential addition to a Prince fan's collection and it is again much appreciated that shows from this long ago continue to turn up in superior sound quality. Who knows what will be unearthed next, but you can bet I'll be here to review it.

Bootleg Review: Prince "Husney's: A Work In Progress"

 

Over the years, a large amount of material from Prince's pre-Warner Bros. debut has surfaced amongst collectors. Prince signed with the label in June of 1977 but his first album "For You" did not see release until April of 1978. Home recordings from 1976-77 circulated long ago, as did material recorded in various studios leading up to the sessions around "For You".

One such session is captured here, recorded in 1977 at the Loring Park office of Prince's first manager, Owen Husney. Prince is joined by Andre Cymone on bass and Bobby Z. on drums for a collection of eight instrumentals that feature Prince mainly on keyboards. There are no known titles for these instrumentals, but they are obviously songs that were worked on and not just loose, free form jamming or rehearsing.

These instrumentals have been circulating for quite some time but, as has been the case in the last couple years, this release brings with it a quality upgrade. Which is not to say the previous sources were bad, they were actually quite good. But Cosmic Records have put forth a release clearly from as lo generation a source as you're likely to find for these sessions. Once again we have a bootleg release that has been upgraded to commercial release quality.

The value of a release like this is all in the eye of the beholder. For sound quality, you can't get any better. For historical purposes, it is important for fans to have this in their collection. But these are not songs I will re-visit much, if ever. I love a lot of instrumental music, but these are fairly average 70's funk and R&B grooves with some jazzy numbers thrown in for good measure. The playing is certainly impressive enough, Bobby Z is given more room to show off his drumming skills than he would be as Prince's drummer in the Revolution, but an hour's worth of these type of instrumentals can be a bit much to get through. Again, for history's sake, this is a must own for collectors. But it is more a curiosity to check out once, then put on the shelf, content knowing you have it in your collection but will rarely play it again.

Still, even if I am lukewarm to the material, the quality here is top notch, from the sounds to the artwork. Cosmic Records have gone with a cartoonish 70's motif and the covers look great. Once again, thanks and much credit goes out to those responsible for sharing this material, and those who take the time to continue to provide high quality, completely free releases to the collecting community.

Bootleg review: Prince And The New Power Generation "Trente Et Un Zero Huit Neuf Trois"

Prince fans have been spoiled over the last year with the high quality bootleg releases we've seen. Sparkling clear soundboard concerts, rehearsals and studio outtakes have been coming fast and furious. What we have here is the other side of the collecting coin. An audience recording from Prince's 1993 Act II Tour with The New Power Generation, recorded in Paris on August 31st. 

Audience recordings can be all over the map. I've enjoyed some more than soundboards, simply because they can capture the atmosphere and electricity of the crowd better when done right. This is not a bad recording. Prince's vocals are very clear throughout, but the music is rather muddy and Prince's voice clearly sounds sped up. It's just at a higher pitch then normal, not quite reaching Alvin and the Chipmunks Land but obviously not pitched correctly on the tape. If I had to grade the sound quality here, I'll go with a solid C.

The other downfall of this release, no fault of The Factory Records who have put this release out, is how pedestrian this show is. Prince's Act II Tour came on the heels of his name change to that infamous unpronounceable symbol and marked the beginning of his all out war with Warner Bros. Records. It was his first tour since disowning the name 'Prince' and he declared this would be the last time he would be playing his hits live as they belonged to 'Prince', and that was no longer where he was at anymore. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. I hate to do this, but for you I must" he proclaims before "Sexy MF". So what we have here is a rather bland set of hits, mixed with some of the songs off of his most recent release at the time, the 'Symbol' album.  

There is nothing wrong with a show focusing on the hits per se. The Nude Tour is still one of my favorite tours of Prince's as he played full, and often rearranged and extended versions, of many of his most popular songs. But for Act II, he was starting to fall into the habit of fitting as many of his songs into Vegas-style medleys that are beneath him. The piano medley, in other tours a highlight, is even annoying here as Prince jumps from song to song within seconds. There is a complete lack of spontaneity to this show, very few extended jams or solos, with the guitar solo on "She's Always In My Hair" a rare exception. Even a near twelve minute version of "Purple Rain" fails to excite. On many shows during this tour, Prince would play new, unreleased songs as the encore, but on this night his encore consists of a medley of "1999" with "Baby I'm A Star" and a closing jam of "America" mixed with "D.M.S.R.".    

This is supposedly a better source than the previous recording of this show, but do not let that fool you, this is still strictly for completists only. A very by the numbers show that never veers far from the basic setlist played on most nights of the Act II Tour.

Bootleg Review: Prince And The Revolution "Parade Demos"

2011 was a stellar year for Prince collectors. New bootleg releases surfaced containing a plethora of longed for and much sought after material, from crystal clear rehearsals to soundboard concerts, with a mind blowing, pro-shot DVD to top it all off. But it has not taken long for 2012 to get off to a rollicking start with this release. 4DaFunk have started the New Year off with a bang for sure with the release of "Parade Demos". Yes, these tracks have been in circulation for a long time, but you have never heard them like this. 

These demos first made their appearance way back in 1987 on a vinyl bootleg called "Charade". It was the second bootleg I ever purchased, and the one that really opened my eyes to the world of unreleased Prince music. I was searching local record stores for a bootleg of the much talked about "Black Album" and finally came across one on vinyl at DJ Records, a tiny store in a strip mall that is, of course, long gone these days. As my hands shook holding this unreleased album I had been reading about and dying to hear, my eyes caught the "Charade" album sitting behind it in the bin. I had no idea what it was, I was a naive 16 year old in pre-Internet days, I just knew I had to have it as it was Prince and something I did not own.

As exciting as it was to finally hear "The Black Album", "Charade" was just as magical. Different versions of songs I knew and loved from "Parade", songs I did not even know existed like "Others Here With Us", and a song I had only read about in "Old Friends 4 Sale". I had no idea fans could get access to this kind of stuff at the time. The quality was damn good too, as it was when this bootleg eventually made its way to CD in later years. It was even recently 'remastered' in 2010, but even that release cannot touch 4DaFunk's "Parade Demos".

As it states on the cover, these tracks have never been shared before in this quality. They are sourced from a low-generation tape, not from any existing bootleg and sound amazing. A few of these songs are identical to what was released on "Parade", but thankfully they have been left intact here. This is the configuration of the actual tape, it should be left alone and, as on "Charade", they've done the right thing. "New Position", "Under The Cherry Moon", "Life Can Be So Nice" and "Sometimes It Snows In April" were released as is, so there are no difference,s but since some of these tracks segue into each other, keeping everything unedited is preferable. 

Things start off here, as they do on "Parade", with the same four tracks all running into each other. But instead of "Christopher Tracy's Parade", the opening song was then known as "Wendy's Parade" with references to Prince's character in "Under The Cherry Moon" replaced by Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin, referred to as 'little girl Wendy' here. Besides the lyric change, the basic tracks were used on the released version, with Clare Fischer's orchestration added later. This then leads into "New Position" before an alternate version of "I Wonder U". This is missing any of Clare Fischer's orchestration, but more importantly on this recording, Prince shares the lead vocal with Wendy. Prince decided to drop his vocals from the released version, marking the first time Prince did not sing lead vocals on one of his released songs. "Under The Cherry Moon", same as released, then follows.

One of the strangest unreleased Prince songs circulating is next in "Others Here With Us". Opening with a looped sample of screams , the song is almost devoid of live instrumentation. There is a lone organ playing the melody and a lumbering drum beat, but the majority of the song is Prince's vocal over all kinds of looped screams, howls and other assorted off-putting, creepy sound effects. The lyrics match the dark mood, unquestionably one of the more disturbing songs Prince ever recorded, and I can see why he decided to put it back in the vault. I love the track, it just doesn't fit the ultimate, more light hearted air of "Parade". Apparently there also exists a version with Clare Fischer's orchestration added, but that is uncirculating amongst collectors. I'd be very interested to hear how the song changed once Fischer got a hold of it. 

The true highlight of these demos is "Old Friends 4 Sale". I first read about this track in the 1985 interview Prince did with Rolling Stone so I was floored when I finally got to hear it. This is an incredibly personal song, with Prince addressing his life in the wake of the mania that was "Purple Rain". From changes in his band, to problems with associates, to people who left the Prince camp he felt had back-stabbed him, it is a revelation to hear Prince get this personal on record. He simply does not do it often enough. There are references to cocaine use, surely directed at Morris Day and his former bodyguard Big Chick Huntsberry. Huntsberry sold a story to the National Enquirer detailing a paranoid Prince, painting him as a recluse who was afraid to leave his house in the aftermath of his super-stardom. It deeply hurt his former boss, leading him to agree to the Rolling Stone interview to try to make himself look like a somewhat normal figure. But that pain is all unveiled in the lyric here. '4 someone who said they would die 4 me/sold some, they sold some more pictures and all my little memories/chump change is 2 unravel the mystery/But life is no fun, life is no fun without fantasy/Some things r better left unsaid/and some people r better left untrusted'. 

Sadly, when Prince finally released "Old Friends 4 Sale" in 1999 on his "The Vault" compilation, he did what he usually does and used a re-recorded version from 1991 where he completely changed the lyrics to make them less personal, and in the process non-sensical. It's one of the worst bastardizations of a great lyric in his career, but thankfully the original version lives on in the bootleg world in near perfect quality now. There is also a version circulating from this period with Clare Fischer's orchestration added,  but I have always preferred this original demo. It is a perfect song, the sad melody matching Prince's somber, emotional vocal performance.

"Old Friends 4 Sale" segues into another highlight, the still unreleased "All My Dreams". This over seven minute track is a tour de force for the experimentation that Prince was engaged in with The Revolution at this time. After opening with a light funk/pop groove, the middle section features a slowed down Prince vocal that was later partially re-used on the song "Acknowledge Me". It then goes into a jazzy instrumental showcase with Lisa Coleman soloing on the piano and the bass, presumably Prince, popping and running all over the place. The song then returns to its original structure. After not making the cut for "Parade", it was set to be the closing track on 1986's "Dream Factory" album, but Prince decided instead to disband The Revolution. That album, and this song, remain unreleased to this day.

The demo tape closes with two alternate versions. "Girls & Boys" is identical to the released version other than a brief intro of Wendy saying 'For God's sake' and the ending of the song which closes with drum claps. In its released version these claps were removed as the song segued right into "Life Can Be So Nice". "Love Or $" is the final track here and this is more like a rehearsal of the song than a full fledged studio version. There is a prevalent rhythm guitar part that was not used on the released song, and Prince gives a relaxed vocal, whereas his sped up Camille voice was used on the B-side to "Kiss", where this song eventually wound up.

Even if nothing else were to surface in 2012, the release of this highly upgraded version of the "Parade Demos" is a coup for Prince fans and collectors. It joins an ever growing list of absolutely essential Prince bootlegs. We're not likely to hear any better, clearer versions of these songs than here, as close to release quality as we'll see, and this is a revelatory release. A tremendous thanks, as always, to those responsible and to 4DaFunk for releasing it freely. Also, thanks to the fantastic Prince Vault website, where some of the details shared here about individual tracks originated. It's an invaluable site for Prince research and information.

Bootleg Review: Prince "Montreux Like Jazz" (DVD)

Being a Prince fan can be a frustrating experience. Prince will turn 54 this year and I certainly do not expect him to be the groundbreaking, innovative genius he was through most of the 80's. His studio albums have fallen into the trap most legendary artists find themselves in when they reach this stage of their career. Still capable of putting out some great songs and enjoyable records, but nothing that comes near their former greatness, often times sinking into mediocrity. 

But where Prince has always kicked ass is in the live forum. His prowess in concert is one of the main reasons he continues to be one of the most bootlegged artists of his time. Practically every show gets taped and eventually finds its way into the hands of his fans and collectors. Lately though, Prince has seemed to pick and choose when to truly 'bring it' live. Yes, the majority of his standard concerts are still entertaining and better than the majority of live shows you'll see, but it's pretty obvious when he is just going through the motions. The hunger he once had is not there on a nightly basis, and his regular tours are too much of a greatest hits review on many nights, great for the casual fan, but leaving the long time, die-hard fan often wanting more. 

So if I'm ever asked why I continue to be a rabid fan, collecting every show I can get my hands on, I can now point to this release. A two-DVD set of Prince at the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival that serves as a reminder for those that forgot, Prince is still one of, if not the, greatest live musician alive. This set captures both of the shows performed on July 18, 2009 in a stunning pro-shot video. The quality is good enough for an official release, of which one was talked about and planned before Prince once again dropped the ball on preserving his musical legacy. It's absolutely asinine that this was not released to the world, it's that good. So Prince once again misses out on giving his fans what they want and leaves it to the bootleggers to do it right.

Frankly, it's probably a blessing Prince didn't release this as I am sure he would have edited it down to a 'Best Of' from both shows. What you get here are both complete sets, unedited, uncut, as it happened in Switzerland that night. I've seen some complaining from the spoiled segment of the fan base that these two shows are too similar. Yes they share a few of the same songs, but both sets are drastically different both in setlist and tone. 

Show one focuses much more on Prince's jazzier material and ballads. It opens with the guitar heavy "When Eye Lay My Hands On U" and a fantastic, radically re-worked version of "Little Red Corvette", but from there things tend to stay on the mellow side. Songs like "When The Lights Go Down", "Willing And Able" and "She Spoke 2 Me" are pulled from Prince's jazz-pop catalog, while he delves into some of his greatest ballads including "Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore", "Insatiable", "Scandalous" and the set closing "Nothing Compares 2 U". But the highlight of the first show is a jaw dropping performance of "Empty Room" as Prince absolutely tears it up on guitar, specifically during the final two minutes of the song. He's got 'that look' on his face during the scintillating solo that says 'I know I'm a bad ass' and it's awe inspiring to watch.

Show Two also opens with "When Eye Lay My Hands On U" but it veers far from the opening show after that as Prince doesn't let go of his guitar for damn near forty minutes. One of many highlights is a performance of Billy Cobham's "Stratus" that showcases the rest of his band, Renato Neto and Morris Hayes on keys, Rhonda Smith on bass and John Blackwell on drums. This is followed by a rocking version of Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" which goes into a killer version of Prince's own "Peach". A cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Spanish Castle Magic" is next before Prince then pulls out his own classic, 1980's "When You Were Mine". The re-worked "Little Red Corvette" bookends this run of guitar heavy work and this entire portion of the show is a God-send for those who like to see Prince on guitar.

The second half of Show Two is equally as incredible with a long funk jam on "All The Critics Love U In New York", of course rechristened "All The Critics Love U In Montreux". The unreleased 1986 song "In A Large Room With No Light" was re-worked for this festival and follows before the second show closes with an emotional performance of his anthem, "Purple Rain". This is one of those songs that Prince has played so much it can be easy to get tired of hearing in concert, especially in some of the throw-away shortened versions he has done over the years, but this is a full performance and he is pouring his heart into it, as he does the entire night.

These shows have also been released on CD but you really do lose something without the video accompaniment. It's nice to have perfect sound quality audio of these shows, but the passion, hunger and attitude Prince brought to these shows this night need to be seen to be felt. He has that arrogant, cocky look about him all night, the look a long time fan knows is going to equal a great show, and here he delivers two in the same evening. This was a night where Prince obviously felt he had something to prove, and when he comes to the stage with that attitude, forget it. No one can touch him. This is an absolutely essential release for any fan, certainly one of the best Prince bootleg video releases ever.