Worcester 28 March 1985 - leak

 

I recently heard the newly leaked soundboard recorded at Worcester during the Purple Rain tour. It’s only 35 minutes long, and the first time I heard it I had my mouth wide open the whole time, it is a jaw-dropping performance and recording and I can only hope and pray that one day we will hear the whole show. I am not always the greatest cheer leader for the Purple Rain shows but this one has me completely revaluating my feelings about them. I have to say if I heard more shows like this one, my blog would only focus on the Purple Rain tour, I could seriously listen to this stuff all day long. I don’t normally go for only part shows, but I am more than willing to make an exception in this case.

28th March 1985, Worcester Centrum, Worcester Massachusetts

The recording picks up mid-show, and what a way to start a recording – a rare performance of “4 The Tears In Your Eyes.” From the outset, I am lost for words. Prince introduces it as a new song “for the children of Ethiopia” and the performance of it is full of sincerity and heart. To my ears, this performance sounds better than it does on record, even if it is mono. With the bare guitar sounding live and raw it gives the song some feeling in the music as well as Prince's well-intentioned lyrics. Wendy and Lisa weave their magic into the song as we are again reminded of The Revolution in its glory days.

Prince follows up with some more lone guitar, now switching to a blues riff for his take on “I Got Some Help I Don’t Need (Blues In G).” Prince tells the crowd he wants to get loose, and he is as good as his word for the next few minutes as he takes a leisurely stroll through the song. There is plenty of Prince’s good-natured humor on display throughout the song as he runs through his clever lines. As fun as it is, it’s the music that excites me most and the appearance of Eddie M for the closing sax solo is certainly something I appreciate.

 

“When You Were Mine” stays with the light-hearted mood as Prince plays a loose intro while encouraging the crowd to sing “whoo hoo”. The song is perky and upbeat as always, and although it’s not long it is the final few minutes where all the treasures lie – a sparkling guitar solo from Prince that isn’t overplayed and keeps the song on an up. On top of the last couple of songs, it is a stunning few minutes and only makes me hungry for more -especially as he ends with an elongated howl that switches to a crunching guitar jam. I thought I was beyond fan boy freakouts but apparently not – this has me squealing in delight.

With Prince taking the keyboard the mood and tempo change with “Free,” just Prince with backing vocals from Wendy and Lisa. The best moments come as Prince speaks rather than sings, firstly listing the things he is thankful for before speaking (briefly) about God. It sounds on paper as if it might be corny, trust me it’s not. It sounds heartfelt and Prince has some sincerity in his words.

 

 

“Do Me, Baby” has me back to my fanboy ways, it sounds gorgeous on this recording. Prince’s vocals are good, but in this case, it is the pop of Brownmarks bass that I gravity to, and it has my head moving subconsciously. The song ends to make way for “Head,” and as much as I like “Head” I could have done with a lot more of “Do Me, Baby.”

There is plenty of piano and smutty talk from Prince before the song starts properly. Firstly, Prince, has Eddie pull his shoes off, while he talks about some girls coming over for the evening -again with plenty of his humor on display. Eddie adds the sleazy sound of his horn as Prince continues to work up the crowd. Effortlessly cool, this is the Prince I know and love. The band comes in with a great push as “Head” begins in earnest, the bass, and keyboard pushing it along. Prince is loose, the band pulls back as he continues his patter and I don’t know if I should laugh or just write down his lines so I can use them myself at a later date.

 

Things are more romantic with the sentimental “Still Waiting,” both sentimental in lyrical content and sound. With just the piano for accompaniment, Prince knows how to wring emotion out of the song, and as his vocals go from a whisper to a soaring finish we are caught up in the feel of the song.

Things are equally cool with his solo performance of “I Feel 4 U.” Only the first verse and a chorus, yet with only the piano it captures attention and is another highlight in this short set of highlights.

The following “Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)” is equally short, and after only a verse it fades on his fingertips, but not before my heart has skipped several beats.

Prince does his usual introduction for “I Wanna Be Your Lover” as he was fond of during the Purple Rain shows, with his “stomp your feet” etc spiel. It’s fun and the piano riff of the song emphasizes this with its ‘pop’ soul and innate energy. The crowd takes to the sing-along quickly before Prince jokes with them about getting sexy.

 

The last five minutes of the recording feature some funky piano playing by Prince. He keeps the rhythm going while speaking to the crowd about the press and reviews of his show, ending his comments with “I would rather have someone do me a long time than do me for a short time” in regards to reviews saying the middle of the show dragged. It’s something he could play all day long, as well as something I could listen to all day long. The payoff comes as the band jumps in and “Irresistible Bitch” begins, although this is where the recording ends – leaving me hoping and praying that one day the rest of it will see the light of day.

This is only a small portion of the show, and from what we can hear this is one loose and funky show. Prince is sounding incredibly relaxed, and that transfers through to the music. This is a lightness and playful tone in the music which makes listening to this just as much fun as they sound like they are having to make it. This is one of those recordings that has you hitting the replay button over and over. I’m confident that one day we’ll hear the full show, until that day comes this is going to be on constant rotation.