Minneapolis 7 June 1985

 

I have a confession. I listened to today’s recording twice and wrote two reviews for it. Last time I promised myself I would listen to something that was recorded in better quality. I found this birthday recording from 1985, and I thought it was just the thing. I listened to it but was disappointed to find it was less than ideal, it sounded like a 20th generation tape.

However, I did persevere and write a post about it, only to find that when I went to put it away I had a recent and much-improved copy of the gig. So I sat down, popped it on, and did it all again. And it was well worth the effort, the gig was very rewarding.

 June 7 1985 Minneapolis

A long bass intro begins the concert. It takes me a second to register what I am hearing – it is “Love Bizarre.” Prince sings alone, but you can hear Shelia singing the chorus with him. It’s a typically funky version, and there is some very nice sax interplay throughout. The song is more bass-heavy than other times I have heard it, and it’s all the better for it. I am not sure if the taper is picking up the bass better, or is it just more in the mix. I am thinking it’s the mix. Whatever the reason, I like it a lot. Prince calls out just kick drum and guitar and the funk takes off. He then calls out Eddie M for a sax solo, and boy does he deliver.

 

The song ends with Prince asking for a D minor, and the band slips into the next song. I fail to recognize “Mutiny” for the first minute, it is lacking the deep organ groove underneath I have heard elsewhere. The song starts pretty straight, but later there are a lot of adlibs and talking over the top. Again we have another couple of sax solos, with Prince directing musical stabs throughout. The sax then hits a riff and just sticks to it – sounds great. There is then some interplay between Suzanna and the band while the music continues, talking about kissing a man, then encouraging the crowd to get her to sing. She and Paul then trade lines for a minute. The song then loses its way a bit, it never settles back into the song, or a jam. It’s all a bit stop-start, with a lot of talk with the crowd. Paul introduces Prince’s birthday to the crowd and promises Prince will solo for them. But nothing ever seems to develop or gets drawn out.

It gets back on track a little when the sax hits its groove again. Prince gets back on the mic, calls for some chicken grease guitar, then Eddie blow your horn. The song ends with Eddie soloing.

 

There is a misleading moment just after this, Prince says “Sometimes in Snows in April” and then Shelia E delivers a drum solo. It’s enjoyable enough, but I am already waiting in anticipation for what comes next.

Sure enough, “Sometimes It Snows In April” follows. A new song at the time, Prince tells the crowd that if they want to get a drink, it’s cool. The song itself is beautiful, the guitar is slightly extended and the song is well-paced. Everything has time to breathe. The backing vocals are perfect, just one voice backing Prince. As always, less is more. The song is short but is a highlight.

The funky guitar of “Irresistible Bitch” is unmistakable as it begins. This is the sound that first got me into Prince. It starts as it's heard on the Purple Rain tour, all funky guitar and heavy bass. There is plenty of Prince calling directions to the band “stop on the One” “stop on the three” etc. I love it when he calls for just Wendy's guitar, or just guitar and drums. That stripped-back sound appeals to me. There is very little singing at all through the song, Prince sings a few lines, but it’s all about the band and the funk.

Prince calls for the horns, and they add a little light to the dark funk of the song. There is some great soloing from all the band members here. The song moves into another long jam and Prince directs Bobby Z. To my mind, Bobby Z is vastly underrated. Here he gives Prince exactly what he wanted and played everything as required, as he did throughout his time Prince. The song is funky as hell, and Bobby Z is right on it throughout. Prince strips the song down and continues to give calls to Bobby Z. Then over the top of the beat he sings a couple of verses from The Bird. There is a short call and response with the crowd.

 

Brown Mark keeps things moving along with some sharp bass playing, and Prince starts the crowd singing “Drawers burning”

Shelia delivers one of her trademark solos; there is no mistaking her distinctive sound. The band then transitions into “Hollyrock.” It’s a great version; Prince is playing with a lot of energy and passion. Again the saxophones have a couple of solos, at this stage, Prince was beginning to embrace the use of horns. A couple of the band are given a chance to shine, and then it is back to more of Eddie and blowing the horn. Of the songs on this recording, this is the one that is infused with the most energy. The crowd response had been muted all evening, but now they can be heard enthusiastically singing along. Most of these songs are new to the crowd, so this is one of the few times you can hear the audience on the recording enjoying it.

It then gets the full jam treatment, with a nice long groove with plenty of guitar and sax over the top. Then just as suddenly it stops and the recording ends.

 

All in all, a nice little recording. I wouldn’t be quite so praising if I only had the first copy I listened to, but the newer, cleaner version was definitely worth the listen. I am always a fan of these longer funky jams, and that is essentially all this gig is. I would say if this sounds like you, definitely make an effort to listen to the more recently circulating version.